MILAN, Italy – Quinn Hughes scored at 3:27 of overtime, propelling the United States men’s hockey team to a 2-1 victory over Sweden in the Quarterfinals of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on Wednesday at the Santagiulia Arena. The goal, a wrist shot that eluded Swedish goaltender Jacob Markstrom, sends the Americans to the Semifinals, where they will face Slovakia on Friday at 3:10 p.m. ET.
The game was tied 1-1 after regulation time, with Sweden forcing the overtime period after Mika Zibanejad scored with 1:31 remaining. Lucas Raymond assisted on Zibanejad’s goal, sending a pass from right to left across the American defensive zone.
Dylan Larkin had given the United States a 1-0 lead at 11:03 of the second period, with Hughes earning a secondary assist on the play. The Americans then focused on defending their lead, playing a physical game and disrupting Sweden’s offensive flow.
Hughes’s game-winning goal came in a 3-on-3 overtime format, a style of play that emphasizes speed and open ice. “You just bounce back, get ready to proceed, and I feel like we had an offensive mindset in overtime,” Hughes said after the game.
The victory is particularly significant given Hughes’s absence from the 4 Nations Face-Off last season, where the U.S. Lost to Canada 3-2 in overtime of the championship game. Hughes was sidelined during that tournament due to an oblique injury, a loss felt by the American team. He was later named the NHL’s best defenseman, winning the Norris Trophy in the 2023-24 season.
Matthew Tkachuk, who played despite undergoing hernia surgery and adductor tear repair on August 22, expressed his relief at Hughes’s goal. “When I heard the roar and saw him start celebrating, it was definitely the highest jump I’ve taken since my surgery,” Tkachuk said, adding with a laugh, “I might have to use a foam roller afterward.”
The win advances the United States in their pursuit of their first Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980. The team will now prepare to face Slovakia in the Semifinals.
