Olympics: Nelson Nets Two, U.S. Pulls Away From Latvia

 

On Thursday, Team USA opened their Olympic quest in Group C with a convincing 5-1 win over Latvia at Santagiulia Arena. Brock Nelson provided the offensive spark with two goals, both set up by clinical playmaking from Jack Hughes. The American depth was on full display as Brady Tkachuk, Tage Thompson, and Auston Matthews all found the back of the net, while stars like Quinn Hughes, Matthew Tkachuk, and Jack Eichel each chipped in two assists to keep the pressure on. Between the pipes, Connor Hellebuyck was solid in his Olympic debut, making 17 saves to secure the victory. Team USA will look to keep that momentum rolling when they take on Denmark this Saturday, while Latvia moves to Rho Arena to face Germany.

Latvia Lineup:

Vilmanis - Girgensons - Tralmaks

Bukarts - Blueger - Balcers

Krastenbergs - Locmelis - Daugavins

Ravinskis - Batna - Dzierkals

Egle

Rubins - Balinskis

Jaks - Zile

Smits - Mamcics

Freibergs

Merzlikins

Silovs

United States Lineup:

B. Tkachuk - Eichel - M. Tkachuk

Guentzel - Matthews - Boldy

Connor - Larkin - Thompson

Miller - Nelson - J. Hughes

Trocheck

Q. Hughes - McAvoy

Slavin - Faber

Werenski - Sanderson

Hanifin

Hellebuyck

Swayman

Brady Tkachuk put the U.S. in front 1-0 at 14:31 of the opening frame when he took a pass from his brother, Matthew, and fired from the top of the right circle to get it past Elvis Merzlikins. Not long after the first American goal, Quinn Hughes had a goal overturned at 13:01 after it had been determined that Brock Nelson was offside. Renārs Krastenbergs knotted it up 1-1 off the rebound of Zemgus Girgensons' shot, beating Connor Hellebuyck between the pads to get Latvia on the board at 12:35. At 8:25, Nelson's goal was overturned due to goaltender interference on J.T. Miller.

With 9:22 on the clock in the second, Nelson scored the go-ahead goal to untie the knot 2-1 when he forehand-to-backhand to draw Merzlikins out of position, tucking the puck in at the right post after Jack Hughes found him with a pass on the cycle. Tage Thompson made it 3-1 on the power play on a backhand under the bar at 2:25. Nelson extended the USA's lead to 4-1 with just 12 seconds to go after taking a cross-slot pass from J. Hughes to cap a pretty passing sequence in Latvia's end. After this goal, Merzlikins was replaced. The U.S. outscored Latvia 3-0 and outshot them 17-2.

Auston Matthews struck early for Team USA in the third period, scoring on the first shot faced by Arturs Sliovs with a power-play goal at 17:25 for the 5-1 final.

Notes:

- Connor Hellebuyck made a total of 17 saves for the United States.

- Before being replaced, Elvis Merzlikins allowed four goals on 32 shots through the first 40 minutes. Arturs Silovs took Merzlikins' place between the pipes, making five saves.

- Jack Hughes, Quinn Hughes, Matthew Tkachuk, and Jack Eichel each collected two assists. ...Jack Hughes recorded both of his assists in the second period, tying the Team USA record for assists in a period at an NHL Olympics (last done by Ryan Suter in 2014).

- Jack and Quinn Hughes became the third set of brothers to each record multiple points in the same NHL Olympic game.

- Brady Tkachuk scored Team USA’s first goal of the tournament, assisted by his brother Matthew and Zach Werenski. Brady also scored the team’s first goal at the 4 Nations Face-Off. The Tkachuks and Hughes families are the first American brothers to play together at an Olympics since 1998. It’s also the first time since 1964 that Team USA has had two sets of brothers on the same Olympic roster.

- Brady and Matthew Tkachuk both factored on the USA’s first goal. They also combined on a goal at the 4 Nations Face-Off against Finland on Feb. 13, 2025. ...Brady and Matthew Tkachuk became the fourth set of brothers to factor on the same goal in an NHL Olympic game.

- Zemgus Girgensons assisted on Latvia’s first-period tying goal. He’s one of three Latvian players in today’s lineup who also played at the 2014 Olympics.

- Brock Nelson gave Team USA a 2-1 lead. His 29 goals entering the tournament ranked third on Team USA this season behind Matt Boldy (32) and Tage Thompson (30). ...Nelson became the ninth American to score multiple goals in one period at an NHL Olympics - the first since Phil Kessel in 2014. ...Nelson also recorded the first multi-goal Olympic game for Team USA (with NHL players) since Kessel’s hat trick in 2014. Kessel (2014) and John LeClair (2002) are the only Americans with Olympic hat tricks in the NHL era.

- Auston Matthews scored to make it 5-1. He is the only American to win the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy and one of two players ever to win it at least three times (along with Alex Ovechkin).

- Team Latvia and Team USA tied 3-3 in the round robin at the Torino Games. Their only previous Olympic meeting was with NHL players.

- Team USA had five or more multi-point players in an NHL Olympic game for the fifth time. ...Team USA scored at least five goals in an Olympic opener with NHL players for the third time (7 in 2014, 6 in 2002). 

- Team USA brings back 21 of 23 players from its 4 Nations Face-Off roster, including all three goalies. New additions are defensemen Quinn Hughes (MIN) - who missed 4 Nations due to injury - and Jackson LaCombe (ANA), plus forwards Tage Thompson (BUF) and Clayton Keller (UTA).

- Team USA’s last Olympic goal with NHL players came from Phil Kessel in a 5-2 quarterfinal win over the Czech Republic at Sochi. His five goals in that tournament were the second-most by an American at an NHL Olympics, behind John LeClair (6 in 2002).

- Phil Kessel’s hat trick vs. Slovenia in Sochi was the 12th - and most recent - Olympic hat trick with NHL players. Auston Matthews’ 14 NHL hat tricks are tied for the second-most among players competing at the Milano Cortina Games.

- Ten players on Team Latvia have NHL experience, including all three goalies. Two of the three Latvian-born Stanley Cup winners are on the roster: Uvis Balinskis (2025 FLA) and Teddy Blueger (2023 VGK). The other is Sandis Ozolinsh (1996 COL).

- Latvian defenseman and 2026 NHL Draft prospect Alberts Smits (18 years, 72 days) is set to become the youngest player to compete at an NHL Olympics, surpassing Aleksander Barkov’s mark (18 years, 164 days in 2014). ...Latvia’s last Olympic goal with NHL players came in a 2-1 quarterfinal loss to Canada at Sochi, scored by Lauris Darzins on a breakaway following a well-timed line change by head coach Ted Nolan. Goaltender Kristers Gudlevskis made 55 saves - the highest single-game total at an NHL Olympics - and kept Latvia within one goal of the eventual gold medalists throughout.