Winter Olympics: USA vs. Sweden Preview, Odds, and Picks (Feb 18)
Ice hockey heavyweights collide at an early stage at the Winter Olympics on Feb 18, as the USA and Sweden battle for a spot in the semi-finals. Find the odds and our picks here.
How to Watch
- When: Wednesday, February 18, 2026. 4:10 PM ET
- Where: PalaItalia, Milan, Italy
- How to Watch: Peacock
USA vs. Sweden Odds
USA vs. Sweden Head-to-Head
Sweden holds the upperhand based on previous encounters with the USA, winning nine of the last 15. Meanwhile, the Swedes also won the only previous clash between the nations at the Winter Olympics.
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Game Preview
USA’s pursuit of a first Winter Olympics gold in men’s hockey since 1980 continues on Wednesday when they face stiff competition in the quarterfinals against Sweden.
Mike Sullivan’s team will take plenty of positives from their performances thus far, winning 100% of their games to claim top spot in the Group C standings. Only Canada scored more and conceded fewer goals than the U.S. team in the opening round.
The USA opened with a 5-1 win over Latvia, before effortlessly easing to successive wins against Denmark and Germany. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has been one of the team’s best-performing stars, allowing just two goals and making 42 saves.
It has been a somewhat strange campaign for Sweden, with their MD2 loss against Finland ensuring that they dropped into the playoffs and a more difficult potential route to a gold medal game.
Either side of that humbling 4-1 loss, the Swedes showed their quality, beating Italy 5-2 on the opening night, and recording a controlled 5-3 win over eventual group-toppers Slovakia.
Lucas Raymond has been the nation’s most dynamic offensive player, scoring once and registering an impressive seven assists in four appearances.
USA vs. Sweden Picks
USA’s biggest challenge at the Olympics to date is set for Wednesday. However, Sweden’s poor defensive record is hard to ignore, and that could be their Achilles heel in their attempt to cause a shock.
Free Pick:
