Eichel has goal, assist, United States survives scare from Denmark

MILAN -- Team USA was in trouble.

The upset alert was reverberating throughout Santagiulia Arena. Team Denmark, heavy underdogs, were leading in the second period of this Group C preliminary round game on Saturday.

Losing wasn’t in the cards, not if the Americans had designs on winning the group and chasing the dreams they have at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

So, the stars stepped to the fore for a come-from behind 6-3 win that put Team USA in the driver’s seat with one preliminary round game remaining.

The Americans (2-0-0-0) have six points and will clinch the group and a bye to the quarterfinals with anything other than a regulation loss to Germany (1-0-1-0) on Sunday (3:10 p.m. ET; Peacock, USA, ICI Télé, CBC Gem, TSN, CBC).

GAMECENTER SUMMARY: USA-Denmark

Nobody stepped up more than Jack Eichel, who had a goal and assist in a 57-second span of the second period to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead.

“That’s why we're here, we are all competitors,” Eichel said.

Brady Tkachuk scored to make it 2-2 at 9:26 of the second, corralling a clean face-off win by Eichel and snapping it past goalie Mads Sogaard to start the rally.

“It’s a pretty cool feeling scoring for your country,” Brady Tkachuk said. “Just trying to create energy and get some energy from this crowd.”

After the goal, the Ottawa Senators forward screamed, revving up the crowd and his teammates. He is known as a player who brings teammates into a fight and he was wading into this unexpected battle royal against the plucky Danes.

Less than a minute later, Eichel won another face-off, this time to Matthew Tkachuk, who chipped it back to Eichel. The Golden Knights forward calmly snapped it home for a 3-2 lead at 10:23.

Now, the Americans were on their way and Eichel had his fingerprints all over it.

There were more bumps along the way, but the Americans never trailed again.

“That’s expected,” said American forward Jack Hughes. “He is one of the best players in the game and obviously one of the top Americans.

“He is a guy we look to for a lot of production. He carries a heavy burden for the Knights team, so it’s the same role for him, having to come in here and produce and lead our team.”

Denmark (0-0-2-0), which got goals from Nick Olesen and Nicholas Jensen in the first period, put up a fight that many did not expect.

"No matter what team you're going up against we go out there to win, and I think that showed, especially in the first period that we wanted to be competitive,” said Denmark forward Lars Eller. “So right now it stings; a loss stings. It just wasn't enough today. We hung in there, I think, made it a game until late in the third; just wasn't enough."

After American defenseman Noah Hanifin made it 4-2 at 17:23 of the second period, Denmark defenseman Phillip Bruggisser smashed a rising shot from the point that found its way inside the far post to make it 4-3 with three seconds remaining in the period.

Goalie Jeremy Swayman, making his first start, held the fort in the third and Team USA pulled away on goals by Jake Guentzel and Hughes. He finished with 18 saves.

“Obviously, it wasn't meant to be tonight, but I'm extremely proud of the way that we worked our [tails] off out there and fought for each other and gave ourselves a chance against a top team,” Denmark’s Nikolaj Ehlers said. “Very proud of the guys."

Sogaard, who has played two games this season and 31 in his career for the Ottawa Senators, made 32 saves for Denmark before being injured at 11:07 of the third period. Frederik Dichow made nine saves in relief.

Guentzel scored on a one-timer at 7:24 of the third period for a 5-3 lead and Hughes made it a three-goal game at 14:27, skating below the goal line and then scoring off Dichow’s left skate.

The first period was ominous for the Americans when Denmark scored on two of its first four shots. Olesen got things off to a shocking start when his shot from the slot dribbled in at 1:40 for a 1-0 lead.

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Matt Boldy tied it 1-1 at 3:35, stuffing the puck home on a wrap-around of his own rebound.

At 11:16, Jensen wristed a shot from a few feet inside the center red line, and the puck handcuffed Swayman to give Denmark a 2-1 lead.

In the end, crisis was averted.

The Americans won and they even had some style points in the third period.

“It’s a 60-minute game,” Eichel said. “They had a few bounces going their way, but I thought if we played our game for 60 minutes, things would go our way and they did.”