Sweden was an aspiring party pooper coming into the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. And they almost were. With the behemoths Canada and the United States of America being the predicted gold medal game, the Swedes were the dark horses. They showed that in the quarterfinal but ultimately fell to the USA 2-1 in overtime. Gabe Landeskog, the team captain, did not shy away from the devastating reality after this loss. 

“It’s a heartbreaker. It’s hard to sum it up,” Landeskog said. “I’ve talked all along about staying present. I’m not gonna run away from the bitterness of this, the heartache of this, just gonna sit in it for a little bit. Accept it for what it is, and tomorrow the sun will rise again.”

Sweden had done the hard work. They had prevented Team USA from doing what they usually do. Team USA had scored 17 goals in the tournament at that point, including 5+ goals in each group stage game. They limited this free-scoring team to just one goal in regulation, largely due to a goalkeeping masterclass from Jacob Markström. 

Despite playing the night before in a playoff-round win over Latvia, New Jersey Devils netminder got the start for the Swedes. And he didn’t look any worse for wear. Markström made 37 saves and was the biggest reason Sweden remained in the game into the third period. With defense locked up, the uncertain overtime made things difficult for Sweden. 

“It felt like we were in control, like we were going to tie it up. It was just a matter of time, and eventually we did,” Landeskog further said. “And after having been on the gas for the majority of the third period, it felt like we had the momentum. But also knowing it’s three-on-three and could go either way. It didn’t go our way, simple as that.”

The Swedes largely neutralised the US in the third period and the first half of overtime. However, they were unable to get the puck in the back of the net. That included a shot by Adrian Kempe that went off the post with about 2:30 to go. With 1:31 left on the clock, they finally scored. Mika Zibanejad ripped a one-timer from Lucas Raymond to tie the game. 

After a crackling game, it went to a 3-on-3, 10-minute sudden overtime. Even in overtime, the USA missed their first five shots, but on the sixth, Hughes rang one off the inside of the post that crossed the line to give the Americans the win. While the loss in itself was unfortunate, one of the major factors behind the result was their qualifying match-up against Latvia. 

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Victor Hedman Loss Handicapped Sweden Even Before The Game Began

Sweden’s eventual exit has its roots tied to the group stage. They lost to Finland, and the goal-difference tiebreaker sent Sweden into a quarterfinal matchup with Team USA after beating Latvia in the qualifying round. It was a tough draw, but Sweden had every chance to win it. However, since the qualifying round and the quarterfinal had virtually no rest, injury concerns clouded their hopes. 35-year-old Victor Hedman’s first Winter Games ended prematurely when he was scratched from the USA game after suffering a lower-body injury during warmups.

“It was a tough blow for us,” veteran defenseman Erik Karlsson said of Hedman. “It also speaks to his character to be able to make that decision on his own. That he couldn’t perform at the level that he felt that he needed to, to be an improvement on our team. A really tough one. It sucks that we couldn’t do more to give him a chance to play another game.”

Sweden was already the underdog. Injury and fatigue further hampered their chances of going for a medal. Unfortunately, it is what it is. Sweden now flies back home, while Team USA will move to the semifinals. They will be facing Slovakia, while the other semifinal will see Canada face Finland.