United States Falls 4-3 to Latvia, Slips Outside Top 4 in Group A
Updated
Updated · Bleacher Report · May 23
United States Falls 4-3 to Latvia, Slips Outside Top 4 in Group A
11 articles · Updated · Bleacher Report · May 23
A 4-3 loss to Latvia dropped the United States to fifth in Group A, one point behind Latvia for the final quarterfinal berth with two preliminary games left.
Kristers Gudļevskis drove the upset with 45 saves as Latvia survived a 47-22 shot deficit, then sealed it with two empty-net goals after Matthew Tkachuk scored twice for Team USA.
Latvia claimed its first win of the tournament and leapfrogged the Americans in the standings, tightening the race for the last knockout spot before Thursday's bracket begins.
Games against Hungary on Monday and Austria on Tuesday now leave the United States needing a late group-stage turnaround to reach the quarterfinals.
Why is the defending champion Team USA facing a shocking early exit at the World Championship?
After upsetting the defending champions, can Latvia become the Cinderella story of the 2026 hockey worlds?