Feb 17, 2026; Milan, Italy; Oliver Ekman-Larsson of Sweden shakes hands with Elvis Merzlikins of Latvia after the match during a men’s ice hockey qualification playoff game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images
Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling and Sweden advanced to the quarterfinals at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan with a 4-1 victory over Latvia.
Forsling logged 20:03 of ice time, registered one shot on goal and finished the game with a plus-two rating. He took a delaying-the-game penalty in the first period.
Uvis Balinksis played a game-high 23:50 for Latvia , which finished the tournament in tenth place. He was on the ice for Eduards Tralmaks’ second period goal and finished the tilt with a plus-one rating.
Sandis Vilmanis had a rough go of it. He finished with a minus-three rating while playing 14:07. He failed to register a shot on Sweden’s Jacob Markstrom.
The other playoff round matches saw Switzerland blank host Italy 3-0; Slovakia edged Denmark by a 3-2 count; and Germany posted a decisive 5-1 win over France to advance to the quarterfinals.
Florida’s eight remaining skaters are all expected to see action today.
Today’s games at the 2026 Winter Olympics (Men’s tournament)
Quaterfinals: Slovakia 6, Germany 2
Quaterfinals: Canada (1) vs. Czechia (8) 10:40 a.m.
Quaterfinals: Finland (4) vs. Switzerland (5) 12:10 p.m.
Quaterfinals: United States (2) vs. Sweden (7) 3:10 p.m.