Latvia’s Teddy Blueger tried to make a pass out of his defensive zone, but the puck hit the skates of Nylander and went to the stick of Sweden teammate Joel Eriksson Ek, whose shot on goal hit Kempe’s right skate and went in for a 1-0 lead at 10:55.

Sweden will face Latvia in the men’s hockey qualification playoffs of the 2026 Winter Olympics at Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, with puck drop at 3:10 p.m. ET and streaming on Peacock, and TV coverage on USA Network.

Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond continued his impressive start to the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

Team USA's quest for its first Olympic men's hockey gold since 1980 began against Latvia at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, with the B/R staff on hand to deliver live analysis and reaction.

SportsLine's expert Mike Severance reveals his USA vs. Latvia picks for their Winter Olympics men's hockey matchup on Thursday

The game is airing on both USA Network and Peacock.

Team USA has begun play in the men’s hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics with a dominant 5-1 win over Latvia.

Severance is coming off an outstanding NHL season in which he went 235-155-21 (plus $2,022). He entered the Olympic break on a 26-12 roll on NHL money-line picks this season, returning $1,326 for $100 players. Anyone following his hockey picks at their favorite sportsbooks could have seen huge returns.

The United States and Latvia face off in this Group C men's ice hockey matchup during the 2026 Winter Olympics on Thursday.