Team USA vs. Latvia: Three Bold Predictions for U.S. in First Game of Winter Olympics

The U.S. men’s hockey team plays its first game at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Thursday against Latvia.

Team USA will play its first game of the Milan Cortina Olympics on Thursday against Latvia. | Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

The U.S. men’s ice hockey team will take the ice at the Milan Cortina Olympics for the first time on Thursday, set to make its debut in the Games in a preliminary round matchup against Latvia.

It’ll mark the first appearance in an Olympic setting for every player on the team, as NHL players haven’t participated in the Games since 2014. The U.S. will play three games in the preliminary rounds, starting with Latvia on Thursday followed by matchups against Denmark and Germany over the weekend.

Team USA is loaded with talent, bringing along some of the best players in the NHL to Milan. Captained by Auston Matthews of the Maple Leafs, the U.S. will be looking to get off to a hot start as it seeks its first Olympic gold since 1980.

The U.S. is a massive favorite over Latvia in Thursday’s game, and expectations are that they’ll comfortably take care of business in their Olympic opener. So, let’s make some bold predictions for the game, which will get underway at 3:10 p.m. ET.

Team USA vs. Latvia Bold Predictions

Tage Thompson will light the lamp first for Team USA

The U.S. roster is full of goal scorers, with gifted players who can create scoring chances across all four lines. As for who gets on the board first, I think Sabres forward Tage Thompson will score the team’s first goal at the Olympics. Thompson projects to be on the third line for Team USA, skating alongside Dylan Larkin and Kyle Connor. That’ll be a line that’s ready to make an impact, and could potentially be skating against some weaker opposition, lining up against some bottom six forwards on teams with much less depth than the U.S.

That should lead to plenty of opportunities for this unit, and I think Thompson, who shoots as hard as any player in hockey, will be able to rifle one past Latvian goalkeeper Elvis Merzlikins (who plays for the Blue Jackets in the NHL). Thompson has 30 goals in 57 games in the NHL this year, and I think he’ll get Team USA on the board first with his first-ever Olympic goal.

Both Jack and Quinn Hughes will have multi-point games

The Hughes brothers are two of the biggest stars on Team USA, and they could see a good amount of ice time together. Quinn should be on the ice frequently as one of the team’s top defensemen, and his ability to make things happen on the offensive end should lead to at least a few goal scoring chances for the U.S. I think both he and Jack will end the game with two-plus points in what will be a lopsided win for Team USA.

Team USA will score four or more goals and shut out Latvia

This game has the potential to be a rout. Team USA is heavily favored and will want to make a statement with the entire roster making its Olympic debut. I don’t think the team will have much difficulty creating offense for itself, as they out-match Latvia in every position across every line. Whatever unit is on the ice will be aggressive and looking to put the puck into the back of the net, and they could end up running up the score. Defensively, I think Team USA will be similarly dominant, capable of shutting down the Latvian offense with relative ease. I’m expecting a four-plus goal performance from the U.S. and for the team to shut out Latvia in the Olympic opener.

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