U.S. men’s hockey team edges past Sweden to set up Olympic semifinal with Slovakia

The United States men’s hockey team is marching on. 

International hockey rules did its thing and awarded Team USA the toughest route to the gold medal game at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, but the Americans cleared their first hurdle with a 2-1 overtime win over Sweden Wednesday night at Santagiulia Arena. 

Quinn Hughes’ winner booked a semifinal meeting with Slovakia for the U.S..

Canada, which beat Czechia in overtime earlier in the day, will face Finland.  

Mika Zibanejad blasted a one-timer from his office in the faceoff circle to even the score at one with just over 1 ½ minutes left in regulation. Letting out an emphatic yell, the Rangers center kept his team alive for the three-on-three battle. 

Team Sweden was shorthanded before the puck even dropped, after Victor Hedman suffered a lower-body injury during warmups. While Hedman was still dressed and on the bench, coach Sam Hallam said the big-bodied blueliner wouldn’t play and would be reevaluated after the game. 

Hedman is a key piece of Sweden’s lineup, but Tre Kronor struggled to connect offensively. 

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After a tight and scoreless opening 20 minutes, the Americans struck first just over halfway through the middle frame. 

Dylan Larkin scored his first goal of the tournament, perfectly redirecting a pinballing Jack Hughes shot for the 1-0 lead. Team USA was galvanized and poured on the shots toward the end of the second. 

Chants of ‘USA! USA! USA!’ reverberated around the lower bowl as the second half of the third period wound down.