Here’s how things stand in the men’s hockey tournament after Switzerland’s 4-3 overtime win against Czech Republic.
The biggest game of the day is now Latvia vs. Denmark to be played at Rho Ice Hockey Arena here in Milan this evening. We are going to assume both Canada and the United States win in regulation against France and Germany, respectively. A loss or even an overtime win by either would change things — but Latvia has an opportunity with a regulation win against Denmark to pass Switzerland and claim the No. 5 seed in the tournament, because Switzerland only got two points in the standings for an overtime win.
The big winner here is Finland, who will now likely face Latvia in the quarterfinals, assuming Latvia beats Denmark in regulation time today.
Slovakia, who was looking at a potential quarterfinal matchup with Latvia, is now more likely to face Switzerland — a much tougher prospect.
As for the United States and Canada, goal differential will be the biggest factor today. Canada currently has a two-goal advantage on the United States, so the U.S. would need to have a margin of victory over Germany that is three goals higher than Canada’s margin over France, in order to finish the preliminary round with the No. 1 seed.
The reward? Avoiding a potential quarterfinal with Sweden.
date: 2026-02-15 14:21:00
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