| Moneyline Pick | USA |
| Player Prop | Jack Eichel over 1.5 points |
| Same Game Parlay | USA -3.5 + Over 5.5 goals + Quinn Hughes over 0.5 points |
| Check Live Odds | |
Latvia vs USA Main Match Info
- Date and Time: Thursday, February 12, 2026, 3:10 PM EST
- Arena: Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena
- Location: Milan, Italy
- Last match: Latvia 3:6 USA (May 21, 2024, World Championships)
Latvia vs USA Moneyline Prediction
- Moneyline Pick: USA
Team USA are set to face Latvia, Denmark, and Germany in the group stage, and they’re expected to cruise through their first three games of the competition.
Even though the Latvians have a few players playing in the NHL, they’ll be no match for a Stars and Stripes side that have one goal, and one goal only: to return home with the gold medal.
The U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team has officially landed in Milan! From the opening ceremony, to the Team USA welcome experience, to the first practice — get the full behind-the-scenes look in the #WinterOlympics Insider: https://t.co/LucOYge0Mx pic.twitter.com/QDNJGSuRFK
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) February 9, 2026
The USA have played against Latvia in three of the last four World Championship editions. The story has been the same, with the American squad winning each time, although they needed overtime to do so in 2023. That was an outlier more than a true reflection of comparative talent between the two teams.
Expect the Stars and Stripes to play aggressively early on, trying to set the tone with and without the puck. Latvia will probably adopt a defensive approach, but if Team USA get an early lead, they’re not going to let it slip away. This Olympic opener should be a routine victory for the Americans, with the talent gap simply too large to suggest otherwise.
Latvia vs USA Player Prop
- Prop Bet: Jack Eichel over 1.5 points
Few players on the American roster are capable of making a consistent, sustained impact on offence like Jack Eichel.
The Vegas Golden Knights playmaker has been excellent in the 2025-26 season and ranks ninth in the league in points with 68 (21 goals, 47 assists) from 50 games. He’s the points leader among U.S.-born players.
With Eichel set to skate at centre in the first line, his chances of cracking the scoresheet will be extremely high, either as a finisher or a playmaker. Against a Latvian team with no NHL defencemen, the stage is set for Eichel to open the campaign with a strong individual showing.
Latvia vs USA Same Game Parlay
- SGP: USA -3.5 + Over 5.5 goals + Quinn Hughes over 0.5 points
Our three-leg parlay begins with the United States not only winning, but doing so by at least four goals. That’s a realistic reflection of the talent gap between the teams. This outcome will largely hinge on how quickly the USA open the scoring, but if they do it early, they’ll likely build a large lead.
The four-goal spread also points to a potentially high-scoring matchup.
🏒 | Quinn Hughes’ headshot and pronunciation of his name for Team USA and the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics pic.twitter.com/nYm3ZFv0QV
— Hughes Updates (@_hughesupdates) February 9, 2026
While Latvia should have their fair share of chances, the overall scoring pace will once again depend on how efficiently the American offence converts opportunities against goaltender Elvis Merzlikins.
Last but not least, we’re backing Quinn Hughes to crack the scoresheet at some point. The defenceman, who plays for the Minnesota Wild, is one of the most productive blueliners in the NHL and has notched 57 points in 52 regular-season contests in 2025-26.
Latvia vs USA Team News
Latvia Team News
Latvia haven’t reported any injuries ahead of this Olympic opener. Even though their chances of pulling off an upset are slim, they’ll need their best players to be on top of their game to stay competitive. None will be more important than their goaltender, Elvis Merzlikins.
The netminder, who plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets, is the only Latvian player included in NHL.com’s Top 100 players list before the start of the Olympics.
Uvis Balinskis also deserves a mention, while among forwards, one name to watch is Teddy Blueger, who plays for the Vancouver Canucks. They have five players with NHL experience, but two of them are goalies: Merzlikins and Arturs Silovs.
USA Team News
Team USA, who also have no injury concerns, feature the second-best roster in the tournament behind Canada. While it’s not even close between the two, it’s also not close between the Stars and Stripes and the rest of the teams. They’re absolutely loaded with elite NHL-level talent on both ends of the ice.
Some of the players to watch include Eichel, Hughes, Clayton Keller, Auston Matthews, and the Tkachuk brothers, Brady and Matthew.
The first line of Matthew Tkachuk, Eichel, and Brady Tkachuk should be the USA’s most dangerous forward group. The trio combined for 113 points in 97 regular-season contests during the 2025-26 NHL season.
Latvia vs USA: Where to Watch (Canada)
- Watch on TSN, RDS, CBC/Radio-Canada
- Stream on TSN+
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