US males’s Olympic hockey crew reacts to lighter boards, plus Auston Matthews vs. William Nylander

The Athletic has reside protection of USA vs Sweden within the 2026 Winter Olympics males’s hockey quarterfinal.

MILAN — For the primary time since 2014, a hockey sport will happen that options Toronto Maple Leafs teammates Auston Matthews and William Nylander taking part in towards one another.

The final time they performed towards one another was within the Under-18 World Championship 12 years in the past; Matthews scored a aim and Nylander had an help.

When Matthews’ Team USA and Nylander’s Team Sweden performed towards one another in final yr’s 4 Nations Face-Off, Matthews missed the sport with an harm.

This time it’s going to be within the quarterfinal within the Olympics, that means the loser heads again to Toronto and will not have an opportunity to medal with their respective United States or Sweden.

“It’ll be a lot of fun,” Nylander stated of going through Matthews. “I think 12 years ago, I probably didn’t even know that we were going to be teammates. So now after playing, I don’t know, 10 years together, it’s going to be very special and a lot of fun.”

Matthews leads the Americans with three targets and 5 factors in three video games, whereas Nylander scored a aim and an help Tuesday evening in a Sweden win over Latvia to guide the Swedes into the quarters. He has scored two targets and 4 factors in 4 video games.

“I’m sure it’ll be interesting,” Matthews instructed TSN’s Mark Masters. “Obviously he’s a good friend and teammate of mine for 10 years now. He’s a special player, a great guy, a great friend.”

Matthews has been one of many United States’ greatest gamers, clearly challenged after a subpar opening sport the place his line with Jake Guentzel and Matt Boldy wasn’t clicking at even power. But coach Mike Sullivan “exercised patience” with the road and now has spent the previous two video games raving about how Matthews’ sport is constructing.

“He does a lot of things really well, even when he’s not producing, that people might not notice,” US teammate Zach Werenski stated. “Everyone’s always focused on his goal-scoring and rightfully so. He’s one of the best goal scorers in the world. But since we’ve been here, he’s been such a leader for us the way he plays the game.”

Added GM Bill Guerin, “There are a lot of different ways to lead. He’s not a man of many words, but he puts it out there every night. Auston’s two-way game and his ability to strip pucks and check and play defensively when he needs to… is elite. And that, going along with his offensive capabilities, makes a pretty good player. He’s a pretty special kid.”

Connor on exterior trying in…once more

Just just like the 4 Nations Face-Off, the place he was scratched within the closing towards Canada, it seems as if the United States will begin the knockout spherical with Kyle Connor out of the lineup.

After having no pictures in two video games on the third line with Dylan Larkin and Tage Thompson, Connor sat within the closing prelim sport towards Germany and was the 14th ahead throughout line rushes at Tuesday’s apply in preparation for Wednesday’s quarterfinal.

Clayton Keller appears like he’ll get a second sport in a row on the left of Larkin and Thompson.

“He has good offensive instincts,” coach Mike Sullivan stated of Keller. “I think he has good instincts away from the puck, also just his ability to play within structure. His panic threshold with the puck is really high. He hangs onto pucks down low. For a guy that’s undersized, he’s pretty stiff on the puck, and his ability to create separation, to make the next play, is really good. His lateral agility in tight space, he’s not easy to handle. I thought he made an impact on that line.”

USA PK good

One of the most effective elements of the United States’ sport at this juncture has been penalized for its kill. They are an ideal 9-for-9 on the PK.

The units up entrance are JT Miller-Vincent Trocheck, Larkin-Brock Nelson and Jack Eichel-Boldy, with Jake Guentzel working in. The protection pairs are Jaccob Slavin-Brock Faber and Jake Sanderson-Charlie McAvoy, with Noah Hanifin labored in.

“Obviously, we come here with a role that’s been placed upon us,” Trocheck stated. “Me and JT, the penalty kill’s a really big part of that. Obviously it helps when you have elite D back there.”

What’s additionally been enormous for Team USA is that they’re profitable probably the most attracts. The Americans are smoking the competitors within the faceoff circle with Larkin profitable an Olympic-best 79.1 % of his attracts, Trocheck profitable 66.7 and Nelson 61.5.

“I think (assistant coach John Hynes has) done a good job organizing them,” Sullivan stated. “I think the guys that have been on it are really buying into it. They pride themselves on that element of our overall team game. One of the things that we’ve tried to do is cast these guys in roles where they know what the expectations are and the contribution that they can make to help us have success. And I think these guys, they can hang their hat on that.”

Nelson and McAvoy commerce full cages

For the primary time since sustaining a fractured jaw in November after taking a slap shot to the face, McAvoy deserted the “fishbowl” to guard his face in Tuesday’s apply. He is anticipated to play with out one Wednesday.

McAvoy instructed TheAthletic earlier than the Olympics that he had at all times deliberate to take the fishbowl off to begin the Olympics, however the hit he took to the jaw from Florida’s Sandis Vilmanis earlier than the event meant he’d must carry on somewhat longer.

Coincidentally, Nelson abruptly wore a full cage in Tuesday’s apply on account of some type of facial harm sustained.

“Charlie gave him some advice on how to play with it,” Sullivan joked.

Lighter boards hooked up

As anticipated, the banners that cowl the boards at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena had lighter inexperienced areas for Tuesday’s qualifying video games. The darkish inexperienced colours had been changed after the NHL and Team USA identified to the IOC that darkish colours can have an effect on a goaltender’s skill to see the puck, one thing that would have affected Jeremy Swayman’s skill when he allowed a aim from past heart ice towards Denmark.

“I know there was discussion. There was discussion about that,” Sullivan stated. “Obviously, the dark boards, sometimes it’s hard for the goalies to pick up the puck coming off that. So I know that there was a discussion. How that decision was made, I’m not aware of.”

Lukáš Dostál, who backstopped the Czech Republic to a win over Denmark on Tuesday to advance to the quarterfinals to face Canada, stated he did not even notice the banners had been swapped out.

“In Anaheim, we have really dark seats,” Dostál stated. “Some of the NHL rinks, they have dark seats, so the background sometimes — I don’t want to say you lose the puck, but you’ve got to stay focused a little more. Obviously it’s just better for us, for the goalies, (that they changed it).”

Hughes is worked up for Mom

Ellen Hughes is a improvement guide for the United States girls’s hockey crew, which performs Canada for the gold medal Thursday. The crew is 6-0 within the event, has recorded 5 consecutive shutouts and outscored groups by a mixed 31-1.

“I’m excited,” her son Jack Hughes stated. “Went to that game (against Sweden in the semifinals) yesterday. Had a lot of fun just watching it. Their team snaps it around pretty good. They got a great team so it should be fun. Hopefully (we’ll) win the quarterfinals, then (brother Quinn and I) can go to that gold medal game.”

While Quinn has been the United States’ most offensive defenseman with 4 assists, Jack has been strong in a fourth-line function with three factors in three video games.

“It seems like he’s got the puck on a string,” Matthew Tkachuk stated of Jack. “He’s always been an incredible player. Seems like he has the puck each and every shift. He’s really good along the boards and in the D-zone, especially not being a winger. Making that adjustment really easy. He’s an incredible player. Sees the ice so well, skates well just like his brother. He’s been really good for us.”