While Auston Matthews and Team USA march toward the podium, Maple Leafs teammates William Nylander and Oliver Ekman-Larsson face a bittersweet exit as Sweden’s Olympic journey comes to an unexpected end.
It was inevitable that at least one Toronto Maple Leafs player was going to be eliminated from the 2026 Winter Olympics when Auston Matthews’ USA team met William Nylander, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Sweden in the quarterfinals. It turns out Matthews and the USA were the ones victorious, thanks to an overtime goal from Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes to defeat “Tre Kronor” 2-1.
Matthews picked up the secondary assist on the play and continues to lead the Americans with three goals and three assists in four tournament games. With all the talk centered around Matthews being captain, the star has certainly stepped up to the plate thus far.
A Disappointing Exit for Sweden
For Sweden, however, the tournament is over, marking a rather disappointing run for the nation. The trouble began with the shock of not even finishing in the top four to earn an automatic berth into the quarterfinals. Finishing seventh out of 12 teams put the country in a difficult spot, as they first had to defeat No. 10 Latvia in a qualification round.
To make matters worse, star defender Victor Hedman was injured during warmups. Due to the timing of the injury, Sweden was unable to replace him with a healthy Rasmus Andersson. Unlike in NHL games, Olympic lineups are announced about an hour before the game starts and before warmups. Consequently, the country had to play the elimination match without one of their top defenders.
Maple Leafs Impact
Neither Nylander nor Ekman-Larsson got on the scoresheet for the final game. Despite the early exit, Nylander finished a productive tournament with two goals and two assists in five games.
“It’s hard to describe right now,” Nylander told reporters, including Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, when asked about the end of their run. “I mean, it’s tough when the Olympics only happens every so often. So, good learning experience, that’s for sure.”
For Oliver Ekman-Larsson, the loss was particularly poignant. Having been part of the silver medal-winning team in 2014—the last time NHL players competed at the Olympics—the 34-year-old was considered a long shot to make the roster this time. He earned his invite thanks to his stellar play with the Leafs this season. However, given his age, this could very well be the last time he represents Sweden at the Games, and going home empty-handed was not what he envisioned.
“Pretty empty right now,” Ekman-Larsson told reporters following the loss.
Looking Ahead
With this result, Sweden is the only team from the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off not remaining in the semifinal round. The Olympic tournament continues as Canada takes on Finland this Friday, while the USA moves on to face Slovakia.