Two teams with differing expectations meet in the first round of the knockout stage, as Lucas Raymond and Sweden take on Latvia in the men’s playoff qualifiers at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

After exciting preliminary contests, it's onto the playoff round for men's ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The playoff stage begins early Tuesday with four qualification matchups before the quarterfinals take place on Wednesday.

When does the USA men's hockey team play next? Here's the Olympic quarterfinal schedule, including what day and time to watch.

It’s been a long time coming for Latvia. They stunned Germany, 4-3, in men’s hockey on Saturday, marking their first win in the competition at a Winter Olympics since 2014, when they beat Switzerland.

SportsLine's expert Mike Severance reveals his USA vs. Latvia picks for their Winter Olympics men's hockey matchup on Thursday

The game is airing on both USA Network and Peacock.

After leading his team to an important victory against Team Germany on Saturday, Pittsburgh Penguins' goaltender Artūrs Šilovs suited up for the second consecutive day on Sunday to face Denmark in Team Latvia's final preliminary round matchup.

Sweden and Latvia face off in the qualifiers in this men's ice hockey playoff matchup during the 2026 Winter Olympics on Tuesday.

The United States and Latvia face off in this Group C men's ice hockey matchup during the 2026 Winter Olympics on Thursday.