The 2026 Men's Olympic Hockey tournament kicked off on Wednesday with a bang, with Slovakia upsetting Finland, and Italy giving Sweden a scare in their opening game. This is going to be a wild tournament. Today, the United States takes on Latvia in both countries' first preliminary-round game. Is there a better way to kick it off than to pit two Columbus Blue Jackets teammates against one another? Probably not. Let's take a look at both countries' upcoming schedules and how to watch. United States Today - February 12th - Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena * United States vs. Latvia - 3:10 p.m. ET - USA Network * Zach Werenski and the Americans against Elvis Merzļikins and the Latvians February 14th - Saturday - Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena * United States vs. Denmark - 3:10 p.m. ET - USA Network * Former Blue Jacket Olivier Bjorkstrand will go up against Werenski. February 15th - Sunday - Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena * United States vs. Germany - 3:10 p.m. ET - USA Network * Super Stars Leon Draisaitl and Moritz Seider will try to upset the U.S. Other Potential Games For The United States * February 17: Qualification Play-off, 3:10 p.m. * February 18: Quarterfinal, 3:10 p.m. * February 20: Semifinal, 3:10 p.m. * February 21: Bronze Medal Game, 2:10 p.m. * February 22: Gold Medal Game, 8:10 a.m. Latvia Today - February 12th - Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena * United States vs. Latvia - 3:10 p.m. ET - USA Network * Elvis Merzļikins will battle Zach Werenski. February 14th - Saturday - Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena * Latvia vs. Germany - 6:10 a.m. ET - CNBC * Germany has 6 NHLers who will look to beat Merzļikins. February 15th - Sunday - Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena * Latvia vs. Denmark - 1:10 p.m. ET - CNBC * Denmark has 6 NHLers, including Olivier Bjorkstrand. Other Potential Games For Latvia - To Be Determined * February 17: Qualification Play-off, 6:10 a.m. * February 17: Qualification Play-off, 6:10 a.m. * February 17: Qualification Play-off, 10:40 a.m. * February 17: Qualification Play-off, 3:10 p.m. * February 18: Quarterfinal, 6:10 a.m. * February 18: Quarterfinal, 10:40 a.m. * February 18: Quarterfinal, 12:10 p.m. * February 18: Quarterfinal, 3:10 p.m. * February 20: Semifinal, 10:40 a.m. * February 20: Semifinal, 3:10 p.m. * February 21: Bronze Medal Game, 2:40 p.m. * February 22: Gold Medal Game, 8:10 a.m. Stay with THN - Columbus for all of the Zach Werenski and Elvis Merzļikins Olympic coverage. Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwm-DfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] and never miss a story. Let us know what you think below. For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
