Latvia vs. USA: Men’s Olympic Hockey Preliminary Odds and Predictions
Team USA is set to battle Team Latvia on Thursday afternoon in the fourth and final matchup of the day.
The Americans enter this tournament with a lot to prove, as they have not won Gold in hockey since the 1980 Miracle on Ice team. Adding to Team USA’s motivation is that they fell short in the 4 Nations Face Off last February as Connor McDavid scored the overtime game-winner for Canada in the Gold medal game.
Despite some historical woes, Team USA’s roster is full of talent from top to bottom and is capable of putting forth a Gold medal effort. That journey starts on Thursday against Latvia.
Latvia vs. USA Olympic Hockey Odds and Betting Trends
Since NHL players first went to the Olympics in 1998, Team USA has never medaled outside of North America. The Americans enter this tournament with the second-best odds to win Gold at +175, which shows that oddsmakers have plenty of faith in Team USA being in the mix until the very end.
On the other side, this will be Latvia’s seventh appearance at the Olympics. Team Latvia has never medaled in men’s ice hockey, and oddsmakers have them listed as a long-shot winner for this tournament. With odds of +50000, Team Latvia’s Gold medal odds rank 10th out of 12 participants.
It’s not surprising to see Team USA heavily favored in this matchup. With odds of -2400 on the money line, the Americans are expected to get the job done, convincingly. Furthermore, Team USA is listed at -3.5 with odds of -148 on the puck line.
Team Latvia
Team Latvia’s best finish at the Olympics was in 2014, the last time NHL players appeared in the Olympics. Latvia reached the quarterfinals in Sochi before losing a hard-fought game to Canada by a score of 2-1.
Latvia’s 2026 Olympic roster consists of five current NHL players. The forward group features a pair of NHLers in Zemgus Girgensons from the Tampa Bay Lightning and Teddy Blueger from the Vancouver Canucks. Uvis Balinskis from the Florida Panthers will patrol the blue line, while Columbus’ Elvis Merzlikins and Pittsburgh’s Artus Silovs both made the team as goalies.
Scoring may be tough to come by for Team Latvia, but their forward group is full of players who are capable of wearing down their opponents. However, a tall task is ahead for Latvia against Team USA in the opener.
Team USA
Team USA’s roster features plenty of playmaking abilities from top to bottom. Led by Auston Matthews as captain, Team USA should be able to light the lamp early and often in this matchup. Matthews, Jack Eichel, and Tage Thompson give the Americans elite scoring at the center position on the top three lines, and wingers such as Jake Guentzel, Kyle Connor, and the Tkachuk brothers figure to be matchup nightmares for Latvia.
Some questionable roster decisions were made by adding J.T. Miller and Vincent Trochek over elite goal-scorers Jason Robertson and Cole Caufield. However, Team USA is hoping that Miller and Trocheck provide veteran leadership and some depth scoring to the bottom-six.
Team USA’s goaltending situation is also solid, as Connor Hellebuyck figures to take on the starting role. He’s not enjoying his typical Vezina-type season, but he has plenty of experience and talent to carry Team USA between the pipes.
Olympics Prediction: Who Will Win Latvia vs. USA?
Team USA will want to make a strong impression in this opening matchup. After last February’s Gold medal loss in the 4 Nations Face Off, look for the Americans to come out firing in this one. Latvia may be able to provide some resistance, but they don’t have enough offensive firepower to keep up in this one.
I expect Team USA to win this matchup by a score of 4-1.