Despite 5-1 demolition of Latvia, Team USA leaves room for improvement in Olympic opener
It’s not just the scoreboard watchers who might have assumed Team USA’s 5-1 victory on Thursday over Latvia was all sunshine and roses. If you thought to stream the second period on the train or bus ride home, you’d have seen the Americans outshoot their Eastern European opponents 17-3 en route to firing a trifecta of tallies past veteran NHL netminder Elvis Merzlikins (CBJ). If you only made it back in time to watch the final frame, you might have caught a team goal so beautiful it would have fit nicely into Team Canada’s offensive exhibition at Czechia’s expense earlier during the day.
Everything coming up BROCK. NELSON. #WinterOlympics
It’s true that the U.S. team quickly pummeled Latvia into the ground after finding its footing early in the second. The Americans’ superior firepower was especially notable in the way J.T. Miller (NYR), Brock Nelson (COL), and Jack Hughes (NJD), nominally the fourth line of coach Mike Sullivan, tore through their Latvian counterparts. The ease with which the U.S. power play worked the puck down low to Tage Thompson and Auston Matthews for their third and fourth goals further implied the class difference between the sides.
Latvia was out of its depth, and the Americans took over the game just as soon as the Latvians seemed to remember that. Still, it took a first period wherein Renars Krastenbergs tied the contest at one, wherein Team Latvia very nearly drew ahead, until either outfit seemed to recognize the gulf in quality that existed between them. Sure, Canada’s opener followed a similar script, but, with respect to a scrappy Latvia group, some initial discomfort with a team of Czechia’s quality is a good deal more understandable. Team USA won comfortably but left room to improve in several key areas. Read on for more on the Americans’ middle six, net-front defense, and more.
Nervy net-front scrambles mar good day for blueline
The strength of Team USA lies in its blueline, where Quinn Hughes, Charlie McAvoy, Jake Sanderson, and Zach Werenski have all played themselves into Norris consideration at the NHL level. Brock Faber could join them yet (he’s excelled since Hughes joined him on the Minnesota Wild), and Jaccob Slavin would surely have earned votes for the 10th consecutive season if not for unfortunate injury luck.
That strength was on display when the elder Hughes brother, who missed the 4 Nations Face-Off on the shelf, consistently gained the zone with his dizzying stickhandling and provided secondary assists on Thompson’s power-play finish and Nelson’s doozy of a second goal, or when Werenski unzipped the Latvian defense and set up the opening scoring move from brothers Matthew and Brady Tkachuk. The actual defending, though, could have been better during the first 20 minutes.
Each of Slavin and Faber, reunited against Latvia after their defensive heroics last February, flailed at a puck Faber blocked after an uncharacteristic turnover by his Minnesota teammate Matt Boldy. Having no such issues locating the disk, Krastenbergs jammed it past Connor Hellebuyck, who was generally competent during a slow day at the office, to even the score. It was Boldy’s last-ditch foray into goaltending that kept the game tied after Sanderson overcommitted in the neutral zone and Werenski lost his stick during the subsequent 2-on-2. Sullivan will hope America’s sluggish opening salvo was merely a case of rink rust; sleepwalk like that against Germany, let alone Sweden or Canada, and his men will be in real trouble.
Discipline proves problematic under tight Olympic rules
Team USA’s early struggles to keep their zone clear wouldn’t have been such an issue if they had gone to the dressing room with a lead. The crucial second goal twice went in only to be chalked off. First, a review revealed Nelson went offside ahead of what would have been a Quinn Hughes goal off the stick of Miller to go ahead 2-0. Next, Miller’s screen on (and contact with) the Latvian goalie nullified a Nelson deflection that would have put the Americans back on top 2-1.
This was deemed goalie interference. Thoughts?
Nelson’s offside was, well, offside. In an NHL game, a video coach would have flagged it for the head coach to challenge, which is exactly what took place on Thursday. Miller’s infraction was a bit more controversial to North American eyes. If he sets that screen on a random Tuesday in Columbus, Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness is more worried about why no one cross-checked Miller out of the crease than whether he interfered with Merzlikins. Under IIHF rules, though, any contact with the netminder in the blue paint constitutes interference.
Aside from Latvia’s successful coach’s challenges, there were other calls the Americans didn’t like, including a hooking penalty on Jake Guentzel that sent them down a man early in the second period. All told, Team USA went shorthanded three times, although Latvia never threatened to capitalize. Still, an American team with just two repeat Olympians needs to adjust to a modified rulebook quickly; Leon Draisaitl and Tim Stützle, whom they’ll meet during Sunday’s tilt with Germany, are dangerous enough at even strength.
Matthews, Larkin lines still working out identities
Two standout lines emerged from the American forward group on Thursday. Nelson, Jack Hughes, and Miller looked great on what initially felt like a thrown-together trifecta on paper. Nelson gets the headlines after narrowly missing out on a hat-trick, but Hughes was the real danger man along the right wall. The other line that popped was Tkachuk-Eichel-Tkachuk, a favorite of Sullivan’s from the 4 Nations. You wondered how it’d hold up this time around, given nagging injuries to the brothers, but their linkup on the opening tally was a beauty; Brady now has 11 goals in 13 games as a senior international.
The two other units weren’t notably bad, but they must come into Saturday’s contest against Denmark with a clearer attack plan. Though captain Auston Matthews scored on the power play to extend the American lead to 5-1, Sullivan will nonetheless be frustrated with his continued inability to find the team’s most gifted scorer a natural fit at even strength. As attempts go, Guentzel, an opportunistic goal scorer with an underrated competitive streak, and hulking two-way forward Boldy made sense. It didn’t work this time, though, as a strong forechecking effort from Matthews wasn’t enough to create chances for his unusually quiet wingers.
On the third line, Dylan Larkin’s deployment between mercurial winger Kyle Connor and sniper Tage Thompson means he’s now more responsible for putting the puck in the net than keeping it out of his. Larkin almost did that by steering a rebound just wide ninety seconds into the game, and Thompson tried a lot more shots than the three that made it through on goal. Still, the connection between the three players never yielded the kind of silky passing moves Eichel and Nelson’s lines looked so comfortable cooking up. Thompson’s role on the power play and Larkin’s two-way responsibility will hold their lineup spots for them whether or not their current unit sticks. Connor, however, will be especially keen to make things work with his new linemates after he failed to make an impression at the 4 Nations.
_____
POST SPONSORED BY bet365
_____
Recently by Anthony Trudeau
- Grading the Artemi Panarin trade: Rangers hasten retool as Kings show urgency
- 2026 Olympic men’s hockey team preview: USA
- Red Wings reinforcements, Olympic injuries, and the biggest NHL storylines to watch in February
- The real Connor McDavid is back. Can the Oilers take advantage?
- Five potential unsung heroes of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline