The men’s Olympic hockey preliminary round wrapped up Sunday in Milan, and now the real fun begins: the knockout stage. Starting Tuesday, it’s win or go home, and the matchups are already shaping up to be must-watch hockey.
Team USA punched its ticket to the quarterfinals in style, cruising past Germany 5-1 in its final preliminary game. Jake Sanderson, who’s been steady on the blue line all tournament, picked up two assists, while Brady Tkachuk added one of his own. On the German side, Tim Stützle continued his strong play with the team’s lone goal-his fourth of the tournament, tying him with Canada’s Macklin Celebrini for the goal-scoring lead.
With that win, the U.S. secured the No. 2 seed heading into the quarterfinals. Canada locked down the top spot, while Slovakia and Finland round out the top four. All four of those teams earned a bye and will skip Tuesday’s qualification round, heading straight to the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
But here’s where the Olympic format throws in a curveball.
Despite finishing with the fifth-best overall record, Sweden finds itself seeded lower than both Switzerland and Germany. Why?
Because Olympic seeding for teams ranked 5 through 12 isn’t based solely on points-it prioritizes divisional placement. Germany and Switzerland both finished second in their respective groups, while Sweden, despite earning more points, only managed third in theirs.
As a result, Sweden drops in the rankings, and the bracket gets a little funky.
What that means for the top seeds is that their path to the podium might be a little bumpier than expected. Canada and the U.S. could face tougher quarterfinal opponents than Slovakia or Finland, who benefit from the quirks of the format.
Here’s how the quarterfinal matchups are shaping up, pending Tuesday’s qualification games:
Quarterfinals - Wednesday (Single Elimination)
- **(1) Canada vs.
Czechia/Denmark winner**
- **(2) USA vs.
Sweden/Latvia winner**
- **(3) Slovakia vs.
Germany/France winner**
- **(4) Finland vs.
Switzerland/Italy winner**
That USA-Sweden potential matchup? That’s a heavyweight clash for a quarterfinal.
Sweden went 3-1 in group play and, regardless of seeding, is always a threat on the Olympic stage. For Team USA, it’s a tough draw, especially considering they went a perfect 3-0 in the prelims-matching Canada as the only unbeaten teams.
Still, if you’re looking for players with a real shot at coming home with hardware, look no further than the American duo of Tkachuk and Sanderson. Both have been impactful, and both are poised to play big roles in the medal rounds.
As the tournament shifts into knockout mode, the margin for error disappears. One off night, and it’s over. But for teams like the U.S. and Canada, who’ve shown consistency and firepower, the path to the podium is still very much in play-regardless of how the bracket shakes out.