Group Sweden going through gauntlet in knockout stage at Olympics

MILAN — Group Sweden faces a gauntlet on the Olympic Winter Video games Milano Cortina 2026.

Seeded seventh after the preliminary spherical, the Swedes enter the single-elimination portion of the boys’s hockey match needing to defeat Group Latvia and Group USA on back-to-back days to achieve the semifinals.

Try this, they usually might should face Group Canada.

“That is what the Olympics are all about,” ahead Filip Forsberg stated.

Sweden performs Latvia within the qualification playoffs at Santagiulia Enviornment on Tuesday (3:10 pm ET; Peacock, USA, ICI Tele, CBC Gem), with the winner advancing to play america within the quarterfinals there Wednesday (3:10 pm ET; Peacock, CBC Gem).

A loss would to Latvia could be Sweden’s most disappointing within the Olympics because the stunning 4-3 loss to Group Belarus within the quarterfinals on the 2002 Salt Lake Metropolis Video games. In a method, it will be worse. The Swedes have by no means been eradicated from an Olympic match with NHL gamers earlier than the quarters.

Latvia defeated Sweden 3-1 within the quarterfinals of the 2023 IIHF World Championship. Sweden coach Sam Hallam was behind the bench for that match too, however does not learn a lot into it. One participant on Sweden’s Olympic roster, Detroit Purple Wings ahead Lucas Raymond, performed that sport. It was earlier than 9,200 followers in Riga, Latvia. The Swedes had a 41-15 benefit in pictures.

“It is a fully totally different group,” Hallam stated. “And if we have a look at the final two Worlds, many of those gamers performed towards Latvia, and we have executed fairly respectable performances.”

Sweden defeated Latvia 7-2 in Ostrava, Czech Republic, in 2024 and 6-0 in Stockholm in 2025, every time within the preliminary spherical.

Nonetheless, the Latvians are harmful.

Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Arturs Silovs made 40 saves when Latvia upset Sweden on the 2023 Worlds, and he is one of many choices on the Olympics with Elvis Merzlikins of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“Good goaltending duo,” Sweden ahead Filip Forsberg stated. “Whoever they [start] goes to be good. Defensively structured crew. Quite a lot of them play collectively for lots of the yr, too, so there can be good chemistry. Huge problem, for certain.”