Why Kyle Connor isn't playing today for Team USA at Olympics vs. Sweden

It's win or go home time for the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.

The men's hockey tournament has reached the quarterfinal stage, and a potent Sweden side opposes Team USA.

Despite the potential upset threat that Sweden poses, the United States is leaving one of its conceptual best goal scorers on the sideline.

Kyle Connor, for the second consecutive game, is a scratch.

The Winnipeg Jets winger missed the preliminary round finale against Germany and now misses out again.

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Why isn't Kyle Connor playing today?

The 29-year old winger is sitting out because he hasn't played well enough.

Connor hadn't registered a shot on goal through the first two games of the Olympics.

In the Germany game, Clayton Keller got his first action thanks to Connor being scratched, and Keller was buzzing around the ice with a purpose.

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Clearly, Mike Sullivan liked what the Utah Mammoth's Keller did and wanted to keep him in there.

Connor has 64 points in the NHL this season (25 goals, 39 assists), but he hasn't carried that over to Italy, and it means it's not obvious whether he'll get a chance back in the United States lineup at some point.

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