Olympics: USA Rallies Past Denmark 6-3 to Stay Perfect at Olympics

 

Coming off a 5-1 win against Latvia on Thursday, Team USA stayed hot on Saturday, rallying past Denmark 6-3 to secure their second straight victory while handing Denmark their second consecutive loss. Jack Eichel sparked the comeback, and the Americans took over, with Matt Boldy, Brady Tkachuk, Noah Hanifin, Jake Guentzel, and Jack Hughes all finding the back of the Danes' net. Denmark got goals from Nick Olesen, Nicholas Jensen, and Phillip Bruggisser. Team USA will now turn their focus to the Germans, who fell 4-3 to Latvia earlier in the day, while Denmark will regroup against Latvia on Sunday.

USA Lineup:

B.Tkachuk - Eichel - M.Tkachuk

Guentzel - Matthews - Boldy

Connor - Larkin - Thompson

Miller - Nelson - J. Hughes

Trocheck

Q. Hughes - McAvoy

Slavin - Faber

Sanderson - Werenski

Hanifin

Swayman

Hellebuyck

Denmark Lineup:

Bjorkstrand - True - Ehlers

Blichfeld - Eller - Jensen

Olesen - Fisker Mølgaard - Aagaard

Storm - Wejse - Russell

Poulsen

Jensen Aabo - M. Lauridsen

B. Jensen - Setkov

O. Lauridsen - Bruggisser

Lassen

Sogaard

Nissen Dichow

It was a shocking start to the game as Nick Olesen opened the scoring, getting Denmark an early 1-0 lead at 18:20 of the first period when he took a pass from Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, converted the pass, and the puck dribbled in past Jeremy Swayman. Matt Boldy tied it 1-1 not long after Denmark got on the board when he took a pass from Quinn Hughes in the U.S. end before rushing into Denmark's zone. His initial shot was denied, and he collected his own rebound, carried it around to the right side of the net for a wrap-around, stuffing it home at 16:25. At 8:44, Nicholas Jensen received the puck from Malte Setkov, and from a few feet inside the center red line, he fired a wrister, and the puck handcuffed Swayman to put the Danes back in front 2-1.

Brady Tkachuk tied it back up 2-2 at 10:34 of the middle frame, right off a face-off win by Jack Eichel, directly to Tkachuk, who went short side from the edge of the left circle, snapping the puck past Sogaard. Only 57 seconds later, Eichel sparked the comeback for the USA when Matthew Tkachuk chipped it to Eichel after he won a draw to him for a quick-release shot to give the U.S. their first lead of the game, 3-2. Noah Hanifin made it 4-2 with 2:37 to go in the second period when he took a beautiful pass from Vincent Trocheck, who got the puck from Brock Faber before skating into Denmark's end, and Hanifin struck from the left side, his shot squeezed through Sogaard's leg pads and just past the goal line. With just 3 seconds on the clock, Phillip Bruggisser bumped in a rising shot from the point that ended up finding its way inside the far post to make it 4-3.

Jake Guentzel restored the two-goal lead at 12:36 of the third period off a pass from Auston Matthews, who was near the left corner when he sent it over to Guentzel for a one-timer from just inside the left face-off circle. At 5:33, Jack Hughes decided to finish it up with a nasty goal when Brock Nelson created a turnover in the neutral zone for him. Jack skated below the goal line and scored off the left skate of Frederik Dichow.

Notes:

- Jeremy Swayman made a total of 18 saves for the U.S.

- Before leaving his place between the pipes after sustaining an injury, Mads Sogaard made 32 saves. Frederik Dichow made nine saves in relief.

- Jack Eichel (1-1--2) became the seventh American to record consecutive multi-point games at an Olympics with NHL players, joining Kane, Parise, Rafalski, LeClair, Modano, and Roenick.

- Matt Boldy scored his first Olympic goal to tie the game. He leads all U.S. skaters with 32 NHL goals in 2025-26 (54 GP) and could join Auston Matthews (2021-22, 2023-24) and Chris Kreider (2021-22) as the only Americans with a 50-goal season since 1998-99.

- Nick Olesen and Boldy scored within the opening 3:35 - the third-fastest two goals from the start of a game by both teams at an Olympic tournament with NHL players, behind Russia/Kazakhstan (2:15 in 1998) and Sweden/Czech Republic (3:11 in 2006).

- Quinn Hughes became the eighth different U.S. defenseman to record assists in consecutive Olympic games with NHL players. The only Americans to extend that run to three games are Brian Rafalski (2010), Ryan Suter (2010), and Brian Leetch (2002).

- Brady Tkachuk became the sixth Senators player to score in consecutive Olympic games with NHL players, joining Milan Michalek (2010), Jarkko Ruutu (2010), Daniel Alfredsson (2006), Dany Heatley (2006), and Alexei Yashin (1998).

- Noah Hanifin became the third U.S. defenseman to score a game-winning goal at an Olympic tournament with NHL players, joining Phil Housley (Feb. 22, 2002) and Brian Leetch (Feb. 14, 1998).

- Team USA earned its second comeback win at an Olympics with NHL players, following its 8-1 rally against Belarus on Feb. 18, 2002.

- This marked the first-ever Olympic meeting between Team USA and Team Denmark with NHL players participating.

- Avalanche forward Brock Nelson (2-0--2) had the chance to join Brian Rafalski (Feb. 18-21, 2010) as the second American to score multiple goals in consecutive Olympic games featuring NHL players.

- Five Team USA players posted multiple points in the win over Latvia. The only Americans to record multiple points in consecutive Olympic games with NHL players are Patrick Kane (2010), Zach Parise (2010), Brian Rafalski (2010), John LeClair (2002), Mike Modano (2002), and Jeremy Roenick (2002).

- Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, who has played three games with the Kraken this season, scored Denmark’s lone goal against Germany on Thursday. The 2023 second-round pick (No. 52) is one of eight Danish players selected in the first two rounds of the NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut in 2025-26, recording an assist in his first game, and was recalled by Seattle before the Olympics. Fisker Mølgaard helped Denmark win gold at the 2025 World Junior Championship Division 1A to earn promotion to the 2026 tournament, and had 1-6-7 in 10 games at the 2025 World Championship as a 20-year-old.