The U.S. opened up its 2026 Olympics with a dominant win over Latvia, 5-1

Brady Tkachuk opened the scoring in the first period with his first Olympic goal, converting off a pass from his older brother, Matthew, to give the U.S. a 1–0 advantage. Latvia responded by tying the game at 1–1.

Brock Nelson scored his first Olympic goal early in the second period to restore the U.S. lead. Tage Thompson (Buffalo Sabres) then added his first Olympic goal on the power play, extending the U.S. lead to 3–1. Nelson buried his second goal of the game later in the period, extending the lead to 4–1.

In the third period, captain Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs) scored his first Olympic goal on the power play, making it 5–1 in favor of the United States.

It’s great to see the NHL players back on the Olympic Stage. The U.S. men did well in their first game.

Next games for the U.S. are Saturday against Denmark at 3:10 pm on USA Network and Sunday against Germany at 3:10 pm on USA Network.

Photo Source: Getty Images