In a battle of two Detroit Red Wings players, it was Dylan Larkin and the United States that came out on top over Moritz Seider and Germany.
Sunday marked the first time Detroit Red Wings teammates Dylan Larkin and Moritz Seider faced off in Olympic competition.
In the end, it was Larkin and the United States who prevailed, defeating Seider and Germany 5–1 at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
The victory bumped Team USA's record to a perfect 3-0 so far in preliminary Olympic action, officially clinching first place in Group C; it comes with an automatic bye into the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Germany will play in the qualification round on Tuesday.
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Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski, a former Michigan Wolverines teammate of Larkin's, opened the scoring late in the first period.
The scoring then continued in the second period, as Toronto Maple Leafs team captain Auston Matthews tallied on the power-play, followed by another goal from Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber.
Larkin, who had been scoreless in the first two games of the Olympics, notched his first assist by picking up a helper on Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson's goal, increasing the lead to 4-0. Matthews then double-dipped, scoring again to cap the scoring for his club.
Metro-Detroit native Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets just missed out on picking up a shutout as Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle scored Germany's first and only goal of the contest.
He finished with 23 saves during the afternoon, while Germany's Maximilian Franzreb made 32 saves.
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