Ben Meyers (#39) celebrates with his USA teammates after scoring a goal against Canada in a preliminary round game at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
The United States men's hockey team is off to quite the start at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
After demolishing China 8-0 in the opener, Team USA picked up a statement 4-2 victory over medal-contender Canada on Friday night. It was the United States' first win over their North American rival since 2010.
Now, Team USA will look to close out the preliminary round with a perfect 3-0 record with a win against Germany on Sunday morning at 8:10 a.m. ET. You can watch the game live on the USA Network or stream it on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com.
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With six points, the United States enters the matchup in the driver's seat to win Group A. A single point (overtime loss) for Team USA would be enough to lock down a first-place finish in the group. The three group winners, in addition to the top second-place team, earn a bye in the playoff qualifiers and advance straight to the quarterfinals.
But reigning silver medalist Germany, which has three points, can still overtake the United States for first. With head-to-head matchup being the top tiebreaker, a regulation win by Germany over the U.S., combined with Canada not beating China in regulation on Sunday, would catapult the Germans into first.
Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics
Watch all the action from the Beijing Olympics live on NBC
Should both Germany and Canada win in regulation, there would be a three-way tie for first, and goal differential in games amongst the three teams would be the first tiebreaker. The United States and Canada are currently even in that department at plus-two, while Germany, which lost 5-1 to Canada, is a minus-four.
Team USA could be down one of its top players against Germany, as defenseman Jake Sanderson is listed as day-to-day after sustaining an undisclosed injury in the win over Canada. Sanderson, the fifth overall pick of the Ottawa Senators in the 2020 NHL Draft, was a late arrival in Beijing due to being in COVID-19 protocols.
