The United States holds a 1-0 lead over Sweden in the third period in Wednesday’s quarter-final with a spot in the semifinals on the line at Milano Cortina 2026 .
Dylan Larkin broke the scoreless draw midway through the second period when he beat Sweden’s Jacob Markstrom to give the United States the lead.
Markstrom allowed one goal on 29 shots entering the third period for Sweden while Connor Hellebuyck has stopped all 19 shots he faced.
The United States have gone 0-for-2 on the power-play while Sweden has yet to gain the man advantage.
Star defenceman Victor Hedman has yet to appear Sweden in this game as he’s dealing with an apparent lower-body injury.
USA enters Wednesday’s action as the tournament’s second ranked team after winning Group C with a 3-0-0 record.
A win against Sweden will set up a date against Slovakia in Friday’s semifinal. Slovakia reached the semifinals earlier on Wednesday after defeating Germany 6-2.
Sweden struggled in the round-robin, going 2-1-0 to finish third in Group B. They defeated Latvia 5-1 during Tuesday’s playoff in order to reach the quarter-final.
A Swedish win over the United States would set up a matchup with Canada in the semifinals on Friday. Canada squeaked out a 4-3 overtime win in Wednesday’s quarter-final.
The United States are looking for their first Olympic gold medal since 1980 while Sweden are trying for their first gold since 2006 in Turin, Italy.
