Tim Stützle Continues to Shine Despite Germany’s Narrow Loss to Latvia
Tim Stützle is doing everything he can to keep Germany in the Olympic conversation - and he added another highlight to his tournament reel on Saturday morning, even in a tough 4-3 loss to Latvia.
With Germany trailing by two and the clock winding down, Stützle found himself in the middle of a frantic 6-on-5 sequence. The German net was empty, the pressure was on, and the Latvian crease looked more like a war zone than a goalmouth.
That’s when Stützle, always a threat in tight spaces, took a slick feed from Leon Draisaitl and let it rip. The puck pinballed off bodies in front before finding twine, cutting the deficit to one with 2:19 left in regulation.
It was his third goal of the tournament - and it came at a moment when Germany needed a spark.
The final minutes were a flurry of chances for the Germans. They hit iron.
They peppered Arturs Silovs with shots. But the Latvian netminder stood tall, turning away every look in the dying moments to preserve the win.
Stützle finished the game with a goal, five shots on net, and a plus-1 rating in a hefty 26:14 of ice time - a clear sign of how much Germany leans on him in high-leverage situations. With that goal, he’s now tied with Slovakia’s Juraj Slafkovsky for the tournament lead in scoring.
Germany’s record now stands at 1-0-0-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L), placing them third in Group C. While the loss stings, Stützle’s form is a bright spot - and with Draisaitl alongside him, this German squad still has plenty of firepower to make noise as the group stage unfolds.
Next up? A marquee matchup against Team USA.
Puck drops Sunday, Feb. 15 at 3:10 p.m. ET.
Expect Stützle to be front and center once again.