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It wasn’t pretty at first, but the U.S. hockey team picked up the pace and showed why it’s a favorite to play for a gold medal.
After trailing 2-1 through the first period, the Americans dominated offensively to take a 6-3 victory over Denmark on Saturday at the Milan Cortina Olympic Games.
The Americans scored three unanswered goals to open the second period, with 4 Nations cult hero Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators), Jack Eichel (Vegas Golden Knights) and Noah Hanifin (Vegas Golden Knights) finding the back of the net.
However, Denmark did not go down without a fight and scored a third goal past Jeremy Swayman (Boston Bruins) before the horn sounded.
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USA’s Brady Tkachuk, right, celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during a preliminary round men’s ice hockey match against Denmark at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
It was false hope for them, however, as Jake Guentzel (Tampa Bay Lighting) scored and Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils) added another late in the third.
Both sets of brothers on the team — Brady and Matthew Tkachuk and Jack and Quinn Hughes — each had a point in the contest. Fourteen players had points for the Americans with a different scorer each time the lamp was lit.
USA’s Jack Eichel, second right, celebrates after scoring his team’s third goal during a preliminary round men’s ice hockey match against Denmark at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
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Swayman struggled early, especially when Denmark’s second goal was scored from near mid-ice, but he found his footing in the final two periods. Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets) got the start in the first game and Jake Oettinger (Dallas Stars) will likely be in their next game.
The Americans had 47 shots on goal against Denmark’s 21.
The USA ends preliminary play on Sunday with a game against Germany at 3:10 p.m. ET. The Americans will once again be heavy favorites and a win will put them in the knockout stages.
The Americans can also go straight to the knockout stage with an overtime loss. With a regulation loss, their fate would be determined by Canada’s matchup against France and point differentials with Slovakia, Finland and Sweden.
USA’s Brady Tkachuk, right, challenges Denmark’s Oliver Bjorkstrand during a preliminary round men’s ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
But as a heavy favorite against a German team with just eight NHL players, the U.S. may not need to worry.
