Sweden secured a 5-1 victory over Latvia in the round of 16 at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina, setting up a quarterfinal matchup against the United States. Goals from Adrian Kempe, Gabriel Landeskog, Filip Forsberg, Mika Zibanejad, and William Nylander propelled Tre Kronor forward despite some uneven play. The win highlights Sweden's depth as they prepare for a physical challenge from the Americans.
Sweden's national hockey team, Tre Kronor, advanced to the quarterfinals of the men's hockey tournament at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina with a 5-1 win over Latvia on February 17 in Milan. The victory came after Sweden topped their group, facing Latvia in the elimination round.
The game started slowly for Sweden, with early criticism from SVT experts for passive play in their own zone. However, momentum shifted in the first period when Adrian Kempe scored at 10:55, deflecting a shot from Joel Eriksson Ek off his skate past Latvia's Elvis Merzlikins. Just 41 seconds later, at 11:36, Gabriel Landeskog converted a rebound from Mika Zibanejad's shot, assisted by Lucas Raymond, to make it 2-0.
In the second period, Sweden extended their lead to 3-0 at 7:36 when Filip Forsberg redirected a pass from Erik Karlsson. Latvia responded quickly, with Eduards Tralmaks scoring on a rebound at 10:47 to narrow the gap to 3-1. SVT analyst Jonas Andersson called the period 'bedrövlig,' noting Sweden's passivity and failure to maintain tempo, while Henrik Lundqvist suggested more movement on the offensive blue line. Erik Karlsson echoed this, saying, 'We slow down the game too much with the puck sometimes.'
Sweden regained control in the third period. Zibanejad scored at 5:54 on a 2-on-1 with Raymond, and Nylander added a backhand goal at 13:18, also assisted by Raymond, finalizing the 5-1 score. Jacob Markstrom made 20 saves in net for his second straight win. Raymond recorded three assists, leading Sweden's scoring with 10 skaters contributing points.
Post-game, Karlsson described the matchup with the U.S. as 'a fun challenge,' noting, 'We came here to play these guys.' Zibanejad emphasized fundamentals like forechecking and defense. Sweden, having played tougher group games against Finland and Slovakia, enters as underdogs against a U.S. team that had an easier group stage. Coach Sam Hallam was noncommittal on his starting goalie for the February 18 quarterfinal at 3:10 p.m. ET.
