What We Learned As Team USA Men’s Hockey Survives Early Scare vs. Denmark, Improves to 2

Team USA men’s hockey is off to a strong start at the 2026 Winter Olympics, coming off a 5-1 victory over Latvia on Thursday and following that up with a 6–3 win against Denmark. It didn’t start well for the U.S., who ended the first period trailing the Danes, 2–1. They turned things around in the second period, however, and were able to get the job done in the end.

Team USA’s next test is its final matchup in the preliminary round, a game on Sunday against Germany at Milano Santagiulia Arena. The puck drops at 3:10 p.m. ET.

Here are some takeaways from what we learned in Saturday’s game:

Connor Hellebuyck will be back in net on Sunday, and Jake Oettinger should be his backup

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Jeremy Swayman did not have the best game on Saturday. It didn’t end up costing the U.S. a win, but he looked nervy in between the sticks and missed a couple of saves that should have been routine. In all, Swayman surrendered three goals on 21 shots in what was a lackluster outing from the veteran goalie. Letting Hellebuyck rest and still picking up a win was important, but that should be the last we see of Swayman at the Games. Oettinger, one of the NHL’s best goalies, has been a healthy scratch for the first two games in Milan, but he should be bumped up the lineup and into the backup role for the remainder of the tournament.

The U.S. can create goal scoring opportunities across any line

It doesn’t matter who is on the ice for Team USA–– the team can generate scoring chances with any one of its attacking lines. The U.S. had six different goal scorers on Saturday and now has nine unique goal scorers through its first two games of the Olympics. Only Brady Tkachuk and Brock Nelson have scored multiple goals in Milan, and Tkachuk is the only player to score in each of Team USA’s first two games.

Regardless of what group is out on the ice, the U.S. will be looking to be aggressive on offense, and they’ve had plenty of success in doing so thus far.

Team USA needs to start stronger

Through two games at the Olympics, the U.S. has surrendered a total of four goals. Three of those goals have been scored in the first period, including two from Denmark on Saturday. Now that we’re two games into the Milan Olympics, there’s no excuse for a slow start. The U.S. needs to do a better job of protecting the net early on in order to avoid falling into an early deficit. Sunday will be Team USA’s final test in the preliminary rounds, and Germany will look to be aggressive as it looks to cement its place in the quarterfinals after a surprising loss to Latvia on Saturday.

Team USA 6, Denmark 3: Here’s everything that happened

Catch up on our live blog from the game:

More Winter Olympics on Sports Illustrated

Listen to SI’s Olympics podcast, Daily Rings, below or wherever you listen to podcasts.