It’s hard for Latvia to keep up with the U.S. Olympic hockey team, and they did their best, but it wasn’t good enough in a 5-1 loss. They just don’t have the manpower. Here are five observations.
- Elvis left the building. Well, the crease after two periods. He did all he could. He was just getting pummeled in the crease. I’m not a guy who cares about shots on goal. What I care about are high-leverage chances and how hard a goalie has to work, and he was done with about three minutes to go in the second period and had to gut it out.
- Big defenseman Alberts Smits is a player I’ve been watching for the 2026 NHL Draft. He got power play time and was battling players like Tage Thompson, not giving an inch. I love the battle. I loved the edge work, and he was decent at bringing the puck up the ice, but he needs to be more decisive. His puck retrievals were flawless. All in all, he is showing he’s a Top 10 prospect in the draft and will be on Latvia’s National Team for a long time.
- Dans Locmelis rocked Auston Matthews with a dirty elbow that wasn’t called for a penalty. Matthews later got a goal, but that took him out of a play in which Latvia scored its only goal. A loose puck situation in front of the net. A good effort goal.
4. The Latvian video coach was the true MVP. He took two U.S. goals off the board!
5. I would give Arturs Silovs the next start. He is having a better season with the Penguins, and I think has fewer moving parts, and that may help him not wear down the way Merzlikins did. It’s just a hunch. Germany will be a tough team to match up against, but give him a shot, and he may surprise us with a big effort.
