Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond are teammates, linemates and brothers in arm. But for two-plus hours this afternoon, the two Detroit Red Wings forwards will treat each other like enemy combatants.

Larkin’s Team USA and Raymond’s Swedish squad will clash in a quarterfinal Olympic match-up (3 p.m. ET, Peacock). It is an encounter that will send one of them home and the other on the path to a possible Olympic medal.

It’s not surprising that their teams must meet, but a quarterfinal confrontation was not on anyone’s bingo card. It is a case of bad luck for both teams. The undefeated Americans (3-0) should rightfully expect an easier quarterfinal matchup based on their record. But a goal-differential tiebreaker left them as the No. 2 seed behind Canada. That put USA in a bracket that sent the team on a course to face a Swedish team that placed third in Group.

The Swedes were not the third-best team in their group, but unnatural results occur in international competition. The Swedes also were betrayed by a goal-differential tiebreaker. But the added twist is the Slovakia goal that pushed the Swedes to third was a power play tally resulting from a bad penalty by Raymond.

Although Raymond has been criticized heavily by Swedish media for his mistake, he has been Sweden’s top offensive star. Raymond’s eight points (one goal, seven assists) rank him second behind Connor McDavid for the tournament scoring lead.

Quarter-finals. Tomorrow.

Mo (🇩🇪) vs. Slovakia – 6:10am
Dylan (🇺🇸) vs. Lucas (🇸🇪) – 3:10pm pic.twitter.com/xABb1cgBRZ

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 17, 2026

Meanwhile, Larkin has been the talk of the tournament for his role as USA’s No. 3 center. He is 19-5 (79.6%) in the faceoff circle.

“He brings all the intangibles,” U.S. Coach Mike Sullivan said at the Olympics. “He can skate, defend well and win faceoffs. He can play against anybody because of his ability to contribute on both sides of the puck.”

Red Wings in Case You Missed It

Grand Rapids Griffins player Eduards Tralmaks played impressively well for Latvia, now eliminated from the Olympic tournament.

Nate Danielson is using what he learned in Detroit to the benefit of the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Defenseman Simon Edvinsson is ready to rejoin the Red Wings’ lineup after the Olympic break.

Red Wings Extra

Moritz Seider’s German team was eliminated by a 6-2 loss to Slovakia early this morning. We will have a story posted later today. . .  Jesse Kiiskinen scored his 14th goal in the Finnish League Tuesday, tying his total from last season. We expect to see him in Grand Rapids after his season with HPK Hameenlinna is completed. His team will not qualify for the Finnish playoffs. . . The Red Wings sent Austin Watson and Sheldon Dries back to Grand Rapids last night. The Griffins have a 7 p.m. home game against Cleveland tonight and the Griffins are short on forwards. . .

Hockey Now Digest

Boston: Jack  Studley identifies the Bruins’ biggest concern during this Olympic break. Boston Bruins. 

Florida: Not surprising considering they are two-time defending Stanley Cup champions; eight Panthers are three wins from an Olympic gold medal. Florida Panthers. 

Pittsburgh: PHN dives into whether coach Dan Muse has kept his pledge to maximize the potential of all of his players. Pittsburgh Penguins.