Team USA's quest for a first Olympic men's hockey gold since 1980 is underway against Latvia at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, with the B/R staff on hand to deliver a live analysis and reaction.

SportsLine's expert Mike Severance reveals his USA vs. Latvia picks for their Winter Olympics men's hockey matchup on Thursday

Follow along for scores, live updates, and highlights as Team USA hockey takes on Latvia in the group stage at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.

The U.S. men's hockey team has high expectations in the 2026 Winter Olympics, and the Americans will try to take their first step toward the podium on Thursday. Team USA will kick off the preliminary round slate as heavy favorites against Latvia, which should be a nice warmup for what's to come.

The game is airing on both USA Network and Peacock.

Team USA and Latvia meet in the Milano Cortina 2026 preliminary round, where the Olympic points system, early standings pressure and medal-round implications begin to take shape with every shift on the ice.

Canada's Macklin Celebrini, the team's youngest player at only 19 years old, scored with assists from Cale Makar and Connor McDavid. Celebrini was the first overall pick of the 2024 NHL draft, selected by the San Jose Sharks.

There are some nations competing in these Winter Olympics that are shaking off the rust of international play and others that are just happy to be there. The United States is certainly neither, seeking revenge for its overtime loss to Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off final and validation for their IIHF World Championship last year.