Grades, questions from Team USA’s Olympic hockey win vs. Latvia

Team USA won its opening game of the 2026 Olympic men’s ice hockey tournament, defeating Latvia by a final score of 5-1.

The competition was not without drama, as the first period was marked by two successful challenges from the Latvian coach that wiped the American goals off the board.

After that, however, the ice seemed to tilt in favor of the Americans, and goals from Tage Thompson, Auston Matthews and two from Brock Nelson made the difference.

Here’s what we learned in the opener, along with an overall team grade and big questions to think about ahead of Team USA’s game against Denmark on Saturday.

Takeaway 1: Who did better, the Hughes or the Tkachuks?

There are certain players that every team must rely on to win. Team USA is no different, and that’s what makes the Hughes brothers and Tkachuk crucial.

Let’s start with the Hughes brothers. Quinn might be the most important player on the roster. He is a top defender who can be trusted in all situations. This was on display against Latvia, as he finished with a team-high 21:29 of ice time and recorded two assists. Jack opened the game on the fourth line and also finished with two assists.

And the Tkachuks? Physicality was a theme Thursday, and Tkachuks are at the heart of why it was a factor. But there is much more to their respective games than being power forwards. That’s why they were on the front line alongside Jack Eichel, who created a combination using size, speed and skill to present plenty of problems throughout the match for Latvia. Brady scored the first goal of the game and Matthew added two assists.

Takeaway 2: Does coach Mike Sullivan have a line decision to make?

We’ll expand on Brock Nelson’s individual exploits here shortly, but his contributions showed just how much the U.S. got out of their fourth line. Nelson anchored the line with Jack Hughes and JT Miller and scored two goals (and could have had more).

The younger Hughes brother had two assists, but Miller’s contributions are a bit more complicated. Miller set up Quinn Hughes for a first-period goal that was one of two that were disallowed. He was also in net for what became a disallowed second goal that was called back for goalie interference. Miller had the most ice time of the trio, with just over 12 minutes, while his teammates each finished with just over 11 minutes.

Will we see any changes in the matches against Denmark and Germany, or will Sullivan stick with what has worked?

Everything happens BROCK. NELSON. #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/yy7xGkXiR0

– NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 12, 2026

Takeaway 3: the fatigue factor

One of the underlying themes of the 4 Nations showdown was pace, particularly in the final match between Canada and the United States.

That pace was a factor in the first four minutes of this match, part of an approach that saw the United States wear down Latvia in multiple ways. Combining that speed with physicality and puck possession, Latvia ultimately went from a team that tied the game at 1-1 to a team that struggled to keep up for the final 40 minutes. There were the sanctions. There were the goals that resulted from these penalties. There were these long periods of play that allowed the United States to dictate the game in a way that allowed them to score four unanswered goals.

Can the United States do this against other teams? It’s possible against other nations with a mix of NHL and non-NHL players, but what we saw from the Canadiens on Thursday indicates they would be able to keep up.

Player of the game: Brock Nelson, center

There are the two goals he scored. There were also the two goals he almost scored: one on the post and one disallowed for goalie interference.

Regardless, Nelson turned in the most memorable and arguably strongest performance of any player on Team USA.

Naturally, the conversation around Nelson’s game is going to focus on his goal contribution. But there’s also a point to be made about how he was always in position and used his 6-foot-4 frame to create openings in what was a physical match against Latvia.

Will the United States score even more goals against Denmark?

Being the two favorites for the gold medal, this is why there will be one eye on the American team and another on Canada throughout this preliminary round.

Canada struck first with a dominant 5-0 win over Czechia, shifting the focus to the United States in its match later Thursday. The response was a 5-1 victory.

Now it’s a matter of seeing if Team USA can carry that over into its next match Saturday against Denmark. The Danes were playing the same time as the United States and lost 3-1 to Germany, although they finished with 38 shots.

Overall team grade: A-

The U.S. team’s only blemish in its opening game was the lone goal allowed due to a melee in front of the net. Beyond that, the Americans controlled every aspect of their first match.

These disallowed goals as well as Latvia’s equalizer made for a somewhat tenuous start. But the four unanswered goals – and the way the United States displayed its skill and strength – made it too difficult for Latvia to find an opening.