Sweden Matchup Is Team USA's Biggest Olympic Test

The battle lines have been drawn, and the stage is set for Team USA’s biggest test of its Olympic journey thus far. In fact, one could even argue that the Americans’ contest versus Sweden on Feb. 18 is the most crucial game Team USA has played at the Olympics in years.

Everybody knows that the U.S. hasn’t won Olympic gold since 1980’s historic and memorable Miracle on Ice. It was during that event that a scrappy group of amateurs took down the behemoth that was the Soviet Union in a thrilling 4-3 contest in Lake Placid, New York. From there, Team USA went on to win the gold, forever cementing itself as a legend of the sport.

Forty-six years later, the U.S. men’s hockey team is seeking to do the exact same thing, but this time on a different stage in a different environment. NHL players, not amateurs, fill the ice rinks in Milan, and Team USA has an abundance of the top talent the world’s most prestigious hockey league has to offer. With that immense firepower comes expectations. And with those expectations comes stress. Will the Americans be able to overcome the pressure and take down Team Sweden, or will the Olympic dream come crashing down like it so often has these past four decades? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Sweden Presents Familiar Olympic Hurdle

Team Sweden forward Gabriel Landesko — Feb 17, 2026; Milan, Italy; Gabriel Landeskog of Sweden celebrates scoring their second goal against Latvia during a men's ice hockey qualification playoff game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Team Sweden has a loaded roster, too. From Toronto Maple Leafs star forward William Nylander to Tampa Bay Lightning captain Victor Hedman, the team has it all. As such, it was a surprise when it landed third in Group B, setting up this titanic matchup in the quarterfinal round.

One of these teams won’t be earning a medal, and the Americans sure as heck don’t want it to be them.

“Tough test,” Colorado Avalanche forward Brock Nelson said. “One of the favorites coming into the tournament. Tons of speed and skill up front and on the back end. A D corps that can move and make a lot of plays offensively, so a tough matchup for us.”

Nelson in particular has to feel the weight of expectations for this Olympics. He comes from a line of Olympic royalty, with four of his relatives — including his uncle, Dave Christian, who was a part of the Miracle on Ice team in 1980 — winning medals at the event. To him, exorcising the Americans’ troubled Olympic past is a necessity — it must happen.

Of course, the only way for that to occur is for Team USA to take down the Swedes, a task that is much more difficult in reality than it is on paper. Sure, the U.S. roster is superior in many different ways, but time and time again it has fallen short in moments like these.

The U.S. and Sweden have played three games at the Olympics with NHL participation, with the Swedes winning on both occasions in 1998 and 2006. In fact, the Americans are winless versus Sweden in the Olympics since 1960. History is not on the Americans’ side, it would seem, but Nelson and company wish to buck all the trends and come out the other side victorious, nonetheless.

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