If Team Sweden defeats Latvia on Tuesday at the 2026 Winter Olympics, all three Toronto Maple Leafs [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs] will be going head-to-head in a do-or-die game. It will be Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthew [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/maple-leafs-auston-matthews-reportedly-second-highest-paid-athlete-at-winter-olympics]s facing off against William Nylander [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/community/new-william-nylander-youtube-episode-just-dropped] and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. It's also the first time the two teams will face each other — if Sweden wins against Latvia — since the 4 Nations Face-Off in February last year (aside from the 2025 World Championships, which none of the three Maple Leafs played in). It won't be the first time Matthews and Nylander have played each other in international competition, though. Despite several opportunities to go against one another in the World Juniors, the World Championships, and the 4 Nations Face-Off, the last time Nylander faced Matthews was way back in the Under-18 World Championships [https://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/368/IHM368227_74_3_0.pdf] in 2014. The United States defeated Sweden 4-1 in the semifinals of that tournament. When it comes to past potential meetings, Matthews was absent from the USA's game against Sweden at the 4-Nations to rest a lingering injury. Sweden won that game 2-1. At the World Juniors, the two teams didn't play each other in 2015, and in 2016, Nylander played part of one game against Switzerland before his tournament ended [https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/nylander-world-juniors-sidelined-1.3387558] due to a concussion. In the Under-18 World Championships game — the only time Nylander and Matthews faced off in international competition — Matthews had a goal and Nylander registered an assist. Maple Leafs Rank 61st In Sportico’s ‘Big Five’ North American Franchise Valuations [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/f37d4e5e-26a6-4e79-8fa8-e5499d0606e1.jpeg] Maple Leafs Rank 61st In Sportico’s ‘Big Five’ North American Franchise Valuations While the Maple Leafs continue to rule the NHL’s financial leaderboard, a new cross-league ranking reveals the staggering multibillion-dollar gap between hockey’s elite and the giants of the NFL and NBA [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/maple-leafs-rank-61st-in-sportico-s-big-five-north-american-franchise-valuations] No doubt, though, the stakes will be much bigger if the two Maple Leafs teammates face off in the quarterfinals of the Olympics in Milan, Italy. "We have to play Latvia first," Nylander told reporters, including TSN's Mark Masters [https://x.com/markhmasters/status/2023424263303422461?s=20], with a smile, when asked about the possibility of facing Matthews. When it comes to Matthews and Ekman-Larsson, however, both played against each other in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Matthews was with North America, and Ekman-Larsson, of course, was with Sweden. Matthews scored in the game [https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nat-vs-swe/2016/09/21/2016060109/summary], but Sweden defeated North America 4-3 in overtime, moving on to the semifinals. Sweden then lost to Team Europe 3-2 in overtime. Maple Leafs' Easton Cowan To Receive Championship Rings At Wednesday's Knights Game [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/60665ebc-9557-4144-9766-af67d0a446c5.jpeg] Maple Leafs' Easton Cowan To Receive Championship Rings At Wednesday's Knights Game Cowan, along with former teammates Barkey, Dickinson, and Halttunen, will receive their rings before Wednesday's game against Guelph. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/maple-leafs-easton-cowan-to-receive-championship-rings-at-wednesday-s-knights-game] As it stands, Matthews leads the US in goals (3) and points (5) [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/maple-leafs-auston-matthews-pushes-past-criticism-leading-usa-in-goals-and-points-at-2026-olympics] at the Olympics. Nylander has a goal and an assist through three games. Ekman-Larsson has yet to get on the scoresheet. Nevertheless, Matthews and the United States are in for a tough matchup, whether it's against Sweden or Latvia in the quarterfinals at the Olympics, which is set for Wednesday at 3:10 p.m. ET (9:10 p.m. local).
