U.S. sticks with Swayman, settles down to rally past Denmark

MILAN -- In the end, Jeremy Swayman could laugh about it. The boys bailed him out.

The Team USA goalie allowed a goal from just inside the red line in the first period and another from the point with 2.6 seconds left in the second. But U.S. coach Mike Sullivan stuck with him, and so did his teammates.

The Americans rallied for a 6-3 win against Team Denmark at Santagiulia Arena on Saturday in the preliminary round of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, outshooting the Danes 47-21.

They will win Group C and clinch a bye into the quarterfinals if they earn at least one point against Team Germany on Sunday (3:10 p.m. ET; Peacock, USA, ICI Télé, CBC Gem, TSN, CBC).

“That’s so special, to feel the camaraderie of this group and know that the confidence didn’t waver,” Swayman said. “It didn’t waver myself, didn’t waver with anyone on the team, and that’s why this is such an elite group. I think it’s good to go through adversity. You don’t want to, but it’s good, and I think we did a really good job tonight.”

GAMECENTER SUMMARY: USA-Denmark

The U.S. should not have struggled with Denmark. The Americans were heavy favorites by everyone’s estimation, including the Danes’. Denmark didn’t even dress No. 1 goalie Frederik Andersen, saving him for what was considered a more winnable game against Team Latvia on Sunday.

Sullivan started Swayman and dressed No. 1 goalie Connor Hellebuyck as the backup.

Denmark took a 1-0 lead 1:40 into the first period on a bad bounce. Swayman stopped a deflection by forward Nick Olesen. The rebound ricocheted off U.S. defenseman Zach Werenski, slipped underneath Swayman and trickled over the line.

Forward Matt Boldy tied it 1-1 at 3:35. Then Denmark took a 2-1 lead at 11:16 on another odd play. A left-handed shot, defenseman Nicholas Jensen held the puck just inside the red line along the boards to Swayman’s right. He fired the puck past the right leg of Boldy, and it flew all the way past Swayman’s right shoulder and into the net.

Swayman said he didn’t see the puck.

“It was a flash screen, and it was just the perfect height, right between the stands and board level,” he said. “I truly lost it. Definitely one I want back, but at the same time, at this level, you have stay even-keeled. It’s one shot at a time, and no matter how they go in, you’ve got to step up and stop the next one. Just really proud of this group for supporting me and getting the job done tonight.”

The boards are decorated for the Olympics in dark colors. They are especially dark in that area. Was that why Swayman lost it?

“Yeah, I’m colorblind, so it doesn’t matter to me,” he said with a laugh. “It’s something all of us goalies have to face, and we play in different arenas every night in the NHL, so this is just another one, and it’s a challenge that we have to embrace. You know what? Now we’ll talk about it, move on and get to Germany tomorrow.”

The Americans can move on because forwards Brady Tkachuk and Jack Eichel scored goals off face-offs at 9:26 and 10:23 of the second, respectively, to give the U.S. a 3-2 lead.

“I think what’s going through our heads is just sticking with it, trusting each other,” Tkachuk said. “I think that’s what shows the character in room is the trust and belief in one another that if we stick with it that we’ll like the result at the end of the day.”

After Noah Hanifin scored at 17:23 to give the U.S. a 4-2 lead, Swayman gave up a goal to defenseman Phillip Bruggisser on a point shot with 2.6 seconds left in the second. Team USA’s lead was down to 4-3, and Swayman had allowed three goals on 11 shots. But Sullivan didn’t replace Swayman with Hellebuyck for the third.

Why not?

“Because we believe in him,” Sullivan said. “He’s a good goalie.”

Did Sullivan want to save Hellebuyck for Germany?

“No,” Sullivan said.

The Americans broke it open in the third with goals by forwards Jake Guentzel at 7:24 and Jack Hughes at 14:27.

“Just stay the course, I think,” Eichel said. “It’s a 60-minute game. They had a few bounces go their way in the first period. I thought that if we played our game for 60 minutes, things would go our way, and they did.”

That said, Eichel called Team USA “an unfinished product.” The Americans looked out of sync at times, have a lot of work to do and don’t have much time to do it before single elimination begins.

“You have to find it quick,” Tkachuk said. “I think that’s what good about our group is that we’re just kind of scratching at it right now, and it’s going to work out that we’re going to peak at the right time.”