U.S. women's hockey lines get fresh update for Olympics opener vs. Czechia

The United States women's hockey team's quest for a gold medal begins Thursday.

They'll take the ice against Czechia at 4:40 p.m. local time in Milan, which is 10:40 a.m. ET in the U.S. The game will be televised on USA Network.

In preparation for the 2026 Winter Olympics opener, Team USA has freshened up its forward lines.

The Athletic's Michael Russo reported from Milan on Wednesday with the latest line updates.

The first line will feature superstar Hilary Knight along with Hannah Bilka and Alex Carpenter.

The second line will include Britta Curl-Salemme, Taylor Heise and Abbey Murphy.

Kendall Coyne Schofield will be joined on the third line by Kelly Pannek and Kirsten Simms (with Hayley Scamurra also a possibility here).

The fourth line has Tessa Janecke drop down to play center from her previous spot as the left wing on the first line. She's joined by Joy Dunne and Grace Zumwinkle.

Coyne Schofield, Curl-Salemme, Heise and Pannek are the top four scorers in the PWHL.

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U.S. women's hockey Olympic schedule

This is how the preliminary matches break down:

• Feb. 5: Czechia, 10:40 a.m. ET
• Feb. 7: Finland, 10:40 a.m. ET
• Feb. 9: Switzerland, 2:40 p.m. ET
• Feb. 10: Canada, 2:10 p.m. ET

The quarterfinal is on Friday, Feb. 13. The semifinal round is on Monday, Feb. 16.

The medal games are both on Thursday, Feb. 19, with the gold medal game slated for 7:10 p.m. local, 1:10 p.m. ET start.

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