Latvia pulled off a surprising 4‑2 victory over the United States in the opening game of the tournament, a result that reshaped the early standings of Group A. The match, played in Zurich, saw the Latvians capitalize on early chances and maintain pressure throughout.
Deniss Smirnovs opened the scoring in the third period, putting Latvia ahead 2‑1, but Matthew Tkachuk answered with a power‑play goal to level the game before Sandis Vilmanis struck twice in the closing minutes, sealing the win with empty‑net tallies at 1:02 and 0:51 remaining.
Key Moments and Turning Points
Goaltender Devin Cooley was pulled for an extra attacker in the final minute, a gamble that backfired when Vilmanis capitalized on the vacant net, extending Latvia’s lead to 4‑2 and leaving the Americans scrambling for a response.
The defeat dropped the United States to fifth place in Group A, one point behind Latvia, and left them with two crucial fixtures against Hungary and Austria to keep their tournament hopes alive.
In Group B, Denmark recorded a 4‑0 blanking of Slovenia, while other fixtures such as Switzerland versus Hungary, Austria against Germany, Czechia versus Slovakia, and Sweden versus Norway are set to follow.