Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond continued his impressive start to the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

Sweden will face Latvia in the men’s hockey qualification playoffs of the 2026 Winter Olympics at Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, with puck drop at 3:10 p.m. ET and streaming on Peacock, and TV coverage on USA Network.

Latvia’s Teddy Blueger tried to make a pass out of his defensive zone, but the puck hit the skates of Nylander and went to the stick of Sweden teammate Joel Eriksson Ek, whose shot on goal hit Kempe’s right skate and went in for a 1-0 lead at 10:55.

SportsLine's expert Mike Severance reveals his USA vs. Latvia picks for their Winter Olympics men's hockey matchup on Thursday

There are some nations competing in these Winter Olympics that are shaking off the rust of international play and others that are just happy to be there. The United States is certainly neither, seeking revenge for its overtime loss to Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off final and validation for their IIHF World Championship last year.

Victor Hedman thinks that Team Sweden needs to play more physically in order to win a very important Olympic quarterfinal against Team Latvia. Sweden's NHL-heavy roster is changing how they play to deal with Latvia's aggressive style as the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics get closer to elimination.

Team USA's quest for its first Olympic men's hockey gold since 1980 began against Latvia at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, with the B/R staff on hand to deliver live analysis and reaction.

The United States and Latvia face off in this Group C men's ice hockey matchup during the 2026 Winter Olympics on Thursday.