The Men’s Hockey Tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics has finally reached the knockout stage of play. Eight teams will look to keep their hopes of making it to the medal round alive by qualifying for the quarterfinals.
Germany vs France (6:10 a.m.)
After winning one game in the preliminary round, the Germans will look to bounce back from their loss to the United States on Feb. 15 and will rely on their NHL talent to get the offense rolling against a French team they should overpower. Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers) and Tim Stützle (Ottawa Senators) have led the way for Germany so far. They have not had a ton of success on the man advantage and will need to get their power play unit rolling if they want to try and make a push for the medal round of this year’s Olympics. Philipp Grubauer (Seattle Kraken) has looked strong in the two games he has played for the Germans and will likely be in the crease in a “win or go home” game.
France did not win any of their three preliminary-round games, but were consistently a tough team to play against. They do not have the depth or top-end skill of the Germans, and after getting blown out 10-2 by the Canadians on Feb. 15, they will be looking to keep this game much closer. The French team does not back down from their opponents, and will need to keep that kind of mentality if they want a shot at pulling off the upset.
Favorite: Germany
Italy vs Switzerland (6:10 a.m.)
The host country team, Italy, failed to win a game in the preliminary round and faces a tough task in taking down Switzerland to keep their hopes of reaching the quarterfinals. After playing Slovakia tough in their 3-2 loss on Feb. 13, they found themselves on the wrong end of a blowout game against Finland the following day, losing 11-0. They have not seen much from their offense and will need to rely upon their defense and goaltending in this game. Keeping the Swiss out of high-danger areas and taking advantage of any extra offensive chances will be key for the Italians to have a chance in this game.
After pulling off an overtime victory over Czechia in their final preliminary-round game on Feb. 15, the Swiss come in as the number-two seed in Group A. Many thought they could be a surprise team at the beginning of the Olympics, and they have not disappointed. Even in their loss against Canada, they hung with the high-powered lineup for as long as possible before the Canadians pulled away for a 5-1 win. Timo Meier (New Jersey Devils) has led the way for Switzerland, while Roman Josi (Nashville Predators) has been his normal self at both ends of the ice and has been solid defensively.
Related: Guide to the 2026 Winter Olympics Men’s Hockey Tournament
They will need to get Meier’s Devils teammate, Nico Hischier, going, who has only tallied one point in the Swiss’s three games so far. Leonardo Genoni has been a standout for Switzerland in net, and it will be interesting to see who they go with in this game: him or Akira Schmid (Vegas Golden Knights).
Favorite: Switzerland
Czechia vs Denmark (10:40 a.m.)
Falling to Switzerland pushed Czechia to the third seed in Group A, and they face Denmark, a team with an upset on their minds. The usual suspects have led the way for the Czechs, with Martin Nečas (Colorado Avalanche) and David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins) leading the way up front. They will need both of these players to continue their solid play to take down a tough Denmark team. Keeping an eye on how their goaltending performs will be something intriguing, as both Lukas Dostal (Anaheim Ducks) and Dan Vladař (Philadelphia Flyers) have seen time in the net for the Czechs. Getting off to a quick start will be key to putting Denmark on their heels in this game.
Denmark won its lone preliminary-round game against Latvia on Feb. 15, but they have been another team that has been a tough opponent. They kept both of their losses close with their tenacity and never-give-up attitude, and will need more of it against a more skilled Czechia lineup. Nick Olesen has led the way offensively for Switzerland, and Nikolaj Ehlers (Carolina Hurricanes) has been what the team has needed to this point. Frederik Andersen (Carolina Hurricanes) will likely be in the net for the Swiss as they look to move on to play against Canada in the quarterfinals.
Favorite: Czechia
Sweden vs Latvia (3:10 p.m.)
The Swedes bounced back from their 4-1 loss to Finland on Feb. 13 to earn their second win of the Olympics against Slovakia on Feb. 14 and seem to be hitting their stride offensively. They have gotten plenty of production from top to bottom, with Lucas Raymond (Detroit Red Wings) leading the way up front. Defensively, Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres) continues to stand out at both ends of the ice. The biggest question mark for Sweden is what they will get out of their goaltending. Jacob Markström (New Jersey Devils) has not looked at his best through the team’s first three games and will need to have a better showing in the net against Latvia.
Latvia looks to pull off a big upset and have a chance thanks to their pesky playing style and the ability to continuously pressure their opponents. They may not have the depth that the Swedes do, but they have the determination and are very advantageous when they are given an extra chance in the offensive zone. Artūrs Šilovs (Pittsburgh Penguins) has looked solid in the three games he has been a part of for the Latvians and will be heavily relied on to keep the Swedes’ top-end talent at bay while the team in front of him tries to get things going.
In the end, though, Sweden has too much firepower for Latvia to keep up with and should pull off a win, setting up a showdown against the United States in the quarterfinals.
Favorite: Sweden
Could There Be Any Upsets?
In a one-game series in any sport, upsets can always happen (look at the NCAA Basketball Tournament), and that could be in the cards in the Men’s Hockey Tournament at this year’s Olympics. Is it likely? Maybe not, but each of these games will have plenty of excitement and meaning to each country, and anything is possible.
