When the puck dropped on the men’s Olympic hockey tournament last week, Germany was on a lot of shortlists as a potential dark horse. With NHL firepower like Tim Stützle, Leon Draisaitl, and Moritz Seider leading the charge, the Germans had the kind of top-end talent that could tilt the ice in their favor. But Saturday’s game against Latvia was a reality check - and not the kind they were hoping for.
Latvia pulled off a 4-3 stunner, backed by a raucous, flag-waving fan base that made the arena feel more like Riga than an Olympic neutral site. Germany jumped out to leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but every time they thought they had control, Latvia pushed back harder. Three unanswered Latvian goals turned the tide, and while Stützle buried one late to make it a one-goal game, Latvia clamped down in the final minutes to seal the win.
Now, on paper, this might not scream “upset of the tournament.” Germany entered the Olympics ranked 8th in the world, Latvia 10th.
But rankings don’t tell the whole story. Latvia doesn’t have a single NHL star in the same stratosphere as Germany’s top trio.
What they do have is grit, chemistry, and a relentless motor - and on Saturday, that was more than enough.
Stützle, who’s been a bright spot all season in Ottawa, tried to keep things in perspective postgame.
“We had a lot of chances,” he said. “I think we were the better team today.
Still, we've got a lot to clean up. Can't give them so many grade A’s.”
That kind of mindset works when you’re in the middle of an 82-game NHL season. You shake off a tough night, regroup, and get back at it.
But the Olympics are a sprint, not a marathon. One misstep can send you tumbling into the Qualification Playoff round - or worse.
And things don’t get any easier from here. Less than 24 hours after the Latvia loss, Germany has to turn around and face Team USA - a squad that’s not just deep, but fast, physical, and fresh. The Americans handled Latvia 5-1 earlier in the week, and it could’ve been worse if not for a pair of overturned goals.
Germany, meanwhile, leaned hard on its stars in the loss. Draisaitl logged 28:30, Seider 27:41, and Stützle 26:14.
That’s a massive workload in a game where they were chasing the score for most of the third period. Compare that to someone like Brady Tkachuk - Stützle’s NHL teammate - who played just 15:28 in the U.S.'s 6-3 win over Denmark.
The Americans rolled all four lines and spread out the minutes, giving them fresher legs heading into Sunday’s matchup.
And here's the kicker: because of the Olympic format, goal differential matters - a lot. USA-Germany is the final game of the preliminary round, which means the Americans will know exactly how many goals they need to leapfrog Canada in the standings. That’s not good news for a German squad that just gave up four to Latvia and now has to face a U.S. team with every reason to keep the foot on the gas.
So what does this mean for Germany? At best, they’re looking at a lower seed and a tougher path to the medal round. At worst, they could be staring down a rematch with Latvia in the Qualification Playoff - a team that’s already proven it’s not afraid of the big names on Germany’s bench.
There’s still time for Germany to right the ship. But in a tournament where every shift matters, they’re running out of runway.