Team USA Rolls Past Germany 5-1, Draisaitl Held Quiet as Group Stage Wraps at Milano Cortina 2026
MILANO - Team USA closed out group play at the 2026 Winter Olympics in emphatic fashion on Sunday, powering past Germany 5-1 at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. With the win, the Americans finish atop Group A with a perfect record, though they’ll head into the knockout rounds as the tournament’s No. 2 seed behind Canada due to goal differential.
For Germany, the loss secures second place in Group C and sets up a qualifying-round matchup against France on Tuesday, with a quarterfinal date against Slovakia on the line.
This was a statement game from the Americans, and they made it loud and clear-especially in the final two periods. Zach Werenski opened the scoring with just nine seconds left in the first, and from there, it was all USA. Auston Matthews led the charge with a pair of goals, part of five unanswered tallies that overwhelmed a German squad struggling to find its rhythm at both ends of the ice.
The top German stars, Leon Draisaitl and Josh Samanski, were kept in check all night. Neither registered a point or even a shot on goal-an uncharacteristic stat line for two players who typically drive Germany’s offensive engine. But against a relentless American forecheck and a physical matchup that featured Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk, and Jack Eichel, there just wasn’t much room to operate.
Team Germany’s power play, which had been a strength earlier in the tournament, couldn’t break through either. The unit went 0-for-3, and Draisaitl and Samanski were non-factors with the man advantage. Credit goes to the U.S. penalty kill and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who turned aside all 24 shots he faced from the German skaters not named Tim Stützle.
Stützle was the lone bright spot for Germany, scoring his fourth goal of the tournament-tying him for the Olympic lead alongside Canada’s Macklin Celebrini. The Ottawa Senators forward continues to showcase his elite skillset on the international stage, but he didn’t have much help on this night.
Now, Germany has to regroup quickly. Tuesday’s tilt against France is a must-win, and the stakes only rise from here. For the Americans, the path to gold remains intact-and if this performance is any indication, they’re not just winning games, they’re sending messages.