Grades, questions from Team USA’s Olympic hockey win vs. Germany

The United States continued its undefeated streak with a 5–1 victory over Germany in the preliminary round of the 2026 Winter Olympics men’s ice hockey tournament.

The win gives the US nine points, the top spot in Group C and the second overall seed, which makes it into the quarterfinals. The team will face the winner of Sweden-Latvia, which will be played on Tuesday.

captain auston matthews Leading the way in the win with two goals, he joined the goal scoring club taze thompson, brock faber And Zach Werenski.

Here are the main lessons learned in this final preliminary game for the U.S., as well as the overall team grade, the players in the game and the big question as to whether the knockout round will take place on Wednesday.

Takeaway 1: Almost no issues to worry about

Team USA’s 3-0 win in Group C was exactly what it should have been: efficient, confidence-boosting and successful. There was no stumbling block. Many times the palms were moist, but there was no sweat. outside of jeremy swaymanLong-range aiming was permitted against Denmark, with no harbinger of potential destruction. These were three games that showed GM Bill Guerin has built a medal-worthy roster – albeit, admittedly, in the most manageable group in the men’s tournament.

Each line contributed offensively, the fourth line most promisingly: New Jersey Devils star jack hughes 4-nation face-off goes from looking lost to looking like the second coming patrick kane Skating in the next three games brock nelson. Speaking of the 4 Nations, Tage Thompson is still playing like a man with a chip on his shoulder. There aren’t many new changes to Guerin’s roster, but Thompson’s offense has improved significantly.

It’s Tage Thompson’s time! Team USA added another. ✓️#winter Olympics pic.twitter.com/jf5rQkPrCK

– NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) 15 February 2026

The defense has looked deep and strong as expected. quinn hughes And Zach Werenski has been a difference maker in every area. they didn’t need jacob slavin Happen jacob slavin As yet. He comes later. connor hellebuyck He was a consistent presence against Latvia and Germany, with the puck sticking to him. He didn’t need to steal the game. Then, that comes later.

Watching the US and Canada in the first round, the Americans did not look like a Canadian steamroller. He is alright. The U.S. has set a strong foundation for the elimination rounds and a potential rematch with the Canadians, with Olympic gold at stake.

Takeaway 2: OK, one point of concern – the beginning

By the time they took the ice against Germany, Team USA had the math figured out. Canada defeated France by a score of 10–2. To earn the first overall seed in the elimination round, the US would not only have to defeat the Germans but also win the game by 10 goals.

With that in mind, it’s no surprise that the Americans didn’t come out looking like they’d been shot out of a cannon in the first period. They had some good chances, including on the power play, but Germany held them to a stalemate in front of Deutsche Eishockey Liga goaltender Maximilian Franzreb. That was until the last nine seconds of the first period, when Werenski broke the deadlock and scored on an assist from Matthews to give the United States a sigh of relief.

If there’s been a common theme in Group C games, it’s the United States allowing weaker opponents too much oxygen in the opening 20 minutes. Latvia ended the first period in a 1–1 draw. Denmark took a 2-1 lead thanks to a center-ice goal against Swayman. Germany finished the first frame almost tied at 0–0 before Matthews and Werenski tied the score.

Now, the good news in those last games was that the Americans outscored their foes 9-1, exhausted them and ultimately overpowered them. The same happened against the Germans, with second-period goals from Matthews and Faber putting the game out of reach. Overall, the Americans outscored their three opponents 13–2 after the first.

But they are playing with fire with this instinct before meeting better teams in the elimination rounds – there is no margin for error.

Takeaway 3: Tkachuks were tkachukin’

If you’re Team USA it’s hard not to look forward, searching for your first gold medal since the Miracle on Ice and the chance to face your tormentors from the North again. players like Matthew And brady tkachuk He can provide the spark when the team is in cruise control.

Against Germany, Brady Tkachuk was throwing the ball from the beginning. Matthew Tkachuk assisted Matthews and Faber in scoring the goals. But in the most Tkachukian moment, Matthew Tkachuk was the Germany star chirping leon draisaitl On the bench: “Always a bridesmaid, never the bride.” please remember tkachuk Florida Panthers beat draisaitl edmonton oilers Appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals in consecutive seasons. Uncultured.

Most importantly, the brothers escaped a scolding from Elmo, the angriest reporter ever to cover the 2026 Winter Olympics.

It’s game-on for the Tkachuk brothers @elmo But #winter Olympics! 🏒🔥❤️ pic.twitter.com/8WqESzYQsD

– Sesame Street (@sesamestreet) 15 February 2026

This is what Mathews and his team had to look forward to before the elimination round. His perfectly placed cross-ice saucer pass set up Werenski’s vital last goal in the first – a powerful punch for Germany from which it never recovered. But as good as Matthews is as a playmaker, Team USA doesn’t want another effort like the 4 Nations where “Papi” had three assists but zero goals. He needs to find the ball in the back of the net and he did so three times in group play, including twice against Germany.

Matthews fought back in front of the crease on the power play in the second period and earned a high-danger goal. Even in the third period he was close to blue jake sandersonThe shot went wide before Matthews could put it in the net.

A two-piece combo for Auston Matthews. ✌️#winter Olympics pic.twitter.com/vkQzJrWfJb

– NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) 15 February 2026

Matthews has faced criticism ahead of the tournament from those who believe he has lagged behind jack eichel On the depth chart for those who thought he didn’t deserve to captain again after 4 Nations. His performance against Germany was not dominant. This was not the only reason for the Americans’ victory. But as with his line matt boldy And Jake Guentzel Getting better with each inning, and this was an important building-block game for Matthews.

The big question for the next round: can they get past Sweden?

Team USA won Group C and entered the medal round as the No. 2 seed in the men’s hockey tournament. What did the squad earn from this? A possible quarterfinal game against Sweden, Milan’s unanimous selection as the third-best team entering the tournament.

Due to disarray in Group B – where Slovakia continued its rise as a hockey power by taking first place – Sweden was seeded seventh overall. They will face dangerous Latvia in Tuesday’s quarterfinal match and the winner will take on Team USA in the quarterfinals.

Sweden has a defense corps that can interact with the Americans in depth. They have players with excellent skills and experienced players who will be surprised by the hype for Team USA. Although his goaltending has not been the best in the tournament, jacob markstrom And philip gustavson Both can close the door for three periods.

Canadian fans were pleased to see how difficult the path could be for Team USA in the gold medal game. The Americans will have to earn it, provided Sweden overtakes Latvia. Please remember that Italy gave Trey Croner a scare.

Overall Team Grade: A-

A solid effort in a sport where the only real objective was to win the group and stay healthy for the medal round.

The first round was very disappointing. The Americans were very strong the rest of the way, except for one defensive lapse that Hellebuyck couldn’t save – and, of course, that’s his forward crease. It was a convincing victory over better competition than the previous two group games and in front of a partisan crowd.

It wasn’t one where it felt like every part of the machine was cranked up, but then again it didn’t need to be. As defenseman Faber said after the game on NBC: “There are still some things we need to clean up. It’s real now.”