Latvia’s Teddy Blueger tried to make a pass out of his defensive zone, but the puck hit the skates of Nylander and went to the stick of Sweden teammate Joel Eriksson Ek, whose shot on goal hit Kempe’s right skate and went in for a 1-0 lead at 10:55.

It’s been a long time coming for Latvia. They stunned Germany, 4-3, in men’s hockey on Saturday, marking their first win in the competition at a Winter Olympics since 2014, when they beat Switzerland.

Sweden will face Latvia in the men’s hockey qualification playoffs of the 2026 Winter Olympics at Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, with puck drop at 3:10 p.m. ET and streaming on Peacock, and TV coverage on USA Network.

Of seven members of the Vancouver Canucks organization, six will be taking part in the 2026 Winter Olympic qualifier round on February 17.

Denmark and Latvia face off in this Group A men's ice hockey matchup during the 2026 Winter Olympics on Sunday.