USA Survives Sweden in OT, Team USA Has to Level Up Fast If They Are To Face Canada In Gold Medal Game

Team USA is still alive in Milano Cortina — but Wednesday’s quarterfinal against Sweden was the kind of game that tells you two stories at once:

1. The U.S. can absolutely hang in a tight, playoff-style grinder.

2. If the goal is gold — especially in a potential showdown with Canada — this won’t be enough.

The Americans advanced with a 2–1 overtime win over Sweden on Feb. 18, 2026, thanks to a dagger from Quinn Hughes in OT after the U.S. coughed up a late equalizer in regulation.

The game in one sentence

USA controlled large stretches, couldn’t put Sweden away, got punished late, then got bailed out by elite talent in OT. 

That’s a win. It’s also a warning label.

How it happened: a slow burn that turned into chaos

Scoreless first — and the vibe was “Game 7”

U.S. head coach Mike Sullivan told the group to treat it like “Game 7,” and the opening period looked exactly like that: tight gaps, conservative puck management, and both teams feeling out what would and wouldn’t be called.

Sweden took the first penalty of the night (a slashing call), giving the U.S. an early chance to grab momentum — but no breakthrough.

The breakthrough: Larkin finally cracks it

The U.S. got the game’s first goal midway through the second period:

Dylan Larkin scored at 11:03 of the 2nd (listed as 31:03 game time), with Jack Hughes and Quinn Hughes credited with assists.

It wasn’t pretty. It didn’t need to be.

In knockout hockey, the first goal changes everything: Sweden had to open up a little, and the U.S. started to tilt the ice.

The numbers say USA controlled… but the scoreboard didn’t

If you’re Team USA, you’ll like parts of the stat sheet:

• Shots on goal: USA 40, Sweden 29 

• Penalties: USA 2 PIM, Sweden 4 PIM 

• Power-play time: USA 4:00, Sweden 2:00 (no PPG for either)

That’s the story of a team doing a lot of things right… and still letting the opponent hang around because the finishing touch wasn’t there.

And in Olympic single-elimination? That’s how you get your heart rate to unsafe levels.

The gut punch: Sweden ties it with 91 seconds left

The U.S. was 91 seconds from moving on in regulation when Mika Zibanejad scored with 1:31 remaining (18:29 of the 3rd).

That’s the kind of goal that flips a game from “professional win” to “oh no, here we go.”

Sweden didn’t dominate the third period. They didn’t need to. They found one moment, one seam, one bounce — and suddenly it’s 1–1 and you’re sprinting into overtime with all the pressure on you.

Overtime: Quinn Hughes saves the whole tournament

Three-on-three OT is basically hockey’s version of sudden-death streetball: one mistake and it’s over.

And at 3:27 of OT, Quinn Hughes ended it. Matt Boldy and Auston Matthews got the assists.

If you’re making a “Team USA tournament highlight reel,” that shot is going in the first 10 seconds.

The real backbone: Connor Hellebuyck

This wasn’t a game where the U.S. got peppered nonstop — but when Sweden pushed late, the U.S. needed calm in net.

Connor Hellebuyck stopped 28 of 29 shots.

When you’re trying to win an Olympic tournament, that’s the baseline: your goalie can’t just be good — he has to be steady. Hellebuyck was.

Why USA has to “pick it up” if Canada is waiting

Let’s be blunt: Canada won’t let you off the hook.

Sweden let the U.S. get to 40 shots without paying the full price. Canada’s depth and transition game will punish:

• missed power plays

• failure to extend a 1–0 lead

• late-game defensive lapses

And the U.S. can’t bank on needing a miracle finish every night. Against Canada, giving up a tying goal in the final two minutes often turns into giving up the winner shortly after.

Even in this game, the U.S. had two power plays (4 minutes total) and didn’t cash. That’s the exact area that separates “survive and advance” from “take the tournament.”

What’s next: semifinal date, opponent, and the gold-medal path

With the win, Team USA moves on to face Slovakia in the semifinals on Friday, Feb. 20.

The other semifinal is Canada vs Finland, and if the bracket holds, the hockey world gets what it wants:

🇺🇸 USA vs Canada for gold.

But if Team USA wants that game — and wants to win it — the takeaway from Sweden is simple:

Finish more. Close better. And treat every late lead like it’s a one-goal lead against Canada.

Because eventually… it probably will be.