Preview Olympic Games Men’s Hockey Day 2 2026: Full match overview headlined by the United States and Canada – The Hockey Writers Olympics Latest news, analysis and more

After a two-match series to kick off the men’s tournament for the 2026 Winter Olympics, where Slovakia upset Finland and the host country, Italy gave Sweden all they could handlethe second day of preparatory action is a full four-match schedule, with two of the superpowers playing: Canada and the United States.

Switzerland vs France (6:10)

Switzerland: Rooster
France: Rooster

Switzerland, a country that could be a surprise team at this year’s Olympics, opens its preliminary round against France. The Swiss have a lot of talent throughout their lineup, led by Nico Hischier (New Jersey Devils), Kevin Fiala (Los Angeles Kings) and Roman Josi (Nashville Predators). On paper, the Swiss are clearly the better team in this match, but as every tournament has taught fans, teams can never take a lesser opponent too lightly. The top talent and goaltending of Akira Schmid (Vegas Golden Knights) should give Switzerland the edge over France in this match.

The French have quite a talent on their roster, including Alexandre Texier (St. Louis Blues) and Pierre-Édouard Bellemare up front. They will need strong goaltending and overall team defense to slow down the Swiss. Coming out quickly, as the Italians did in their narrow defeat to Sweden, could also be the key to keeping Switzerland on their toes.

Favorite: Switzerland

Players to watch: Nico Hischier (Switzerland), Roman Josi (Switzerland), Alexandre Texier (France),

Czech Republic vs Canada (10:40)

Czech Republic: Rooster
Canada: Rooster

The Canadians are seen as one of the favorites for this year’s Olympic Games, and rightly so. When you have a roster with Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers), Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche), Macklin Celebrini (San Jose Sharks) and many other top NHL talents, it’s hard not to see Canada as one of the top teams. Seeing a mix of veteran players like Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) and Brad Marchand (Florida Panthers) alongside youngsters like Celebrini, Nick Suzuki (Montreal Canadiens) and even McDavid will be a sight to behold for hockey fans.

But the Czech Republic does have top talent, including David Pastrňák (Boston Bruins) and Martin Nečas (Colorado Avalanche), who the Czechs will rely on in this match and throughout the rest of the tournament. This match should be a close one, but with the depth the Canadians have and their goaltending being better than the Czechs, they will most likely get a tournament opening victory.

Favorite: Canada

Players to watch: David Pastrňák (Czech Republic), Martin Nečas (Czech Republic), Macklin Celebrini (Canada), Cale Makar (Canada)

Latvia vs. United States (3:10 p.m.)

Latvia: Rooster
United States: Rooster

In every international tournament they participate in, the Latvians are always among the most difficult teams to play against due to their hard-working mentality and ‘in your face’ style of play. For this year’s Olympic Games, they are bringing a duo of netminders with a lot of NHL experience, Artūrs Šilovs (Pittsburgh Penguins) and Elvis Merzlikins (Columbus Blue Jackets). Whichever netminder is in net for their match against the United States will need to be at the top of their game, with the overall selection favoring the Americans.

Getting a strong defense, like any other team facing a skill disadvantage, will be crucial for the Latvians. They also have some depth in their forward group, led by Eduards Tralmaks, who is coming off a strong season in the American Hockey League (AHL) after signed with the Detroit Red Wings last season.

Related: Guide to the 2026 Winter Olympics men’s hockey tournament

For the Americans, a strong start in the preliminary round starts with playing a good game on both sides of the ice. Making sure they don’t give the Latvians too many chances to stay and close out this match will be crucial. The Latvians do have the players to make an opponent pay for giving extra chances. It should be a goal for the Americans to get all four forward lines rolling. With a deep roster that puts them on par with Canada, they should be able to get a win over the Latvians, but it could be a better score than some expect.

Favorite: United States

Players to watch: Eduards Tralmaks (Latvia), Alberts Šmits (Latvia), Quinn Hughes (United States), Auston Matthews (United States)

Germany vs. Denmark (3:10 PM)

Germany: Rooster
Denmark: Rooster

Denmark is led up front by Nikolaj Ehlers (Carolina Hurricanes), and he will be the lead horse for them at this year’s Olympic Games. They will need him, along with Oliver Bjorkstrand (Tampa Bay Lightning), to carry the load offensively. Where the team falls short against the Germans is their defense. Slowing down players like Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers), Tim Stützle (Ottawa Senators) and JJ Peterka (Utah Mammoth) will be a tough task for the Danes. Frederik Andersen (Carolina Hurricanes) will have to be as strong as he can in this match.

For the Germans, the front is led by the aforementioned players and by one of the NHL’s best defensemen, Moritz Seider (Detroit Red Wings), from the back of the ice. If they can get the attack going against Denmark, they will pick up a win to start their preliminary round.

Favorite: Germany

Players to watch: Nikolaj Ehlers (Denmark), Frederik Andersen (Denmark), Leon Draisaitl (Germany), Moritz Seider (Germany)

Tournament in full swing

With four matches scheduled today, the tournament is in full swing and every country appears to be on the right track and moving in the right direction towards a place in the medal round. While a loss doesn’t automatically eliminate their chances of reaching the medal round, it does set them back and likely require them to fight for a spot in the “qualifying portion” of the tournament.