Sweden Defeats Latvia, Advances to Face USA in Olympic Quarterfinals

MILAN – Team Sweden secured a quarterfinal berth at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan Cortina, defeating Latvia 5-1 on Tuesday, February 17th. The victory sets up a highly anticipated showdown with the United States on Wednesday, February 18th, at 3:10 p.m. ET [1].

Swedes Dominate in Convincing Win

Mika Zibanejad, William Nylander, and Gabriel Landeskog each contributed a goal and an assist for Sweden. Filip Forsberg and Adrian Kempe also found the back of the net, while Lucas Raymond recorded three assists. Jacob Markstrom made 20 saves, earning his second win of the tournament after initially serving as Filip Gustavsson’s backup [1].

Game Highlights

Sweden took an early lead with goals from Adrian Kempe at 10:55 and Gabriel Landeskog at 11:36 in the first period. Latvia managed to respond in the second period with a goal from Eduards Tralmaks at 10:47, but Sweden quickly regained control. Filip Forsberg scored at 7:36 of the second period to extend Sweden’s lead to 3-1 [2].

In the third period, Mika Zibanejad and William Nylander added to Sweden’s tally, finalizing the score at 5-1. Lucas Raymond’s three assists were instrumental in Sweden’s offensive success [1].

Karlsson Anticipated US Matchup

Swedish defenseman Erik Karlsson expressed that the team anticipated a potential matchup against the United States. “We expected to play them and we get to do it tomorrow,” Karlsson said after the win over Latvia [1].

Quarterfinal Schedule

The quarterfinal match between Sweden and the United States is scheduled for Wednesday, February 18th, at 3:10 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on Peacock, NBC, ICI Tele, CBC Gem, CBC, SN, and TSN [1].

Game Details

Date: February 17, 2026

Location: Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, Milan, Italy

Final Score: Sweden 5 – Latvia 1

Coverage: USA Net [2]