Mika Zibanejad had another monster game for Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics, and his performance has his country headed for a marquee matchup in Milan. Sweden prevailed over Latvia 5-1 on Tuesday, and will now faceoff against Team USA in the quarterfinals.
Zibanejad's resurgence has continued in Milan
Sweden is considered a significant underdog against Team USA, but Zibanejad's play gives them a fighting chance to try and pull off the upset. In January he turned heads with a hat trick and five points in the Winter Classic, and he was dubbed "Miami Mika". Through four games Zibanejad has two goals and three assists for five points, and is second overall on the team in scoring behind Lucas Raymond (1-7-8). If he has a big game against Team USA and leads Sweden to a medal, could Milan Mika be the next moniker for Zibanejad?
Mika Zibanejad. One-timer. Lights the lamp. pic.twitter.com/XMNy3jcafg
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 17, 2026
The Rangers' alternate captain was recently moved up into the top six, and he is centering a line with Gabriel Landeskog on the left, and Raymond on the right.
The 2025-26 season has been a great year for Zibanejad, and his elite play has carried over to the Olympics. Zibanejad departed for the games with 23 goals and 29 assists for 52 points in 56 games, and he's the team's leading scorer now that Artemi Panarin is an LA King.
Zibanejad had 62 points in 82 games last season, and he's on pace to finish with 75 points which would be a nice return to form. In any case, Zibanejad is proving that he can be counted on, and a win on Wednesday would be another accolade of importance. It's a matchup he's looking forward to, and another moment for him to change the narrative.
Sweden’s🇸🇪 Mika Zibanejad on facing his #NYR teammates JT Miller and Vincent Trocheck and Team USA🇺🇸 tomorrow:
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) February 17, 2026
“It’s going to be a tough challenge, but one we’re prepared for. It’s obviously guys that we play every day, in terms of knowing how good they are and what their… pic.twitter.com/qmfQfcaflx
Team USA looking to avoid the upset
Mike Sullivan and company ended Group play as the No. 2 seed, and they were hardly tested in their first three games. There were times where the group looked disjointed early, but they were able to start putting things together after ending with a 5-1 win over Germany.
Vincent Trocheck has a pair of assists thus far for Team USA, and he's currently 12th on the team in total points. J.T. Miller is one of four skaters not to have a point, and that also includes Clayton Keller (1 game played), Kyle Connor (2 games played), and Charlie McAvoy (3 games played).
Ice time has been limited for both forwards, as Miller is skating on the fourth line for Team USA whereas Trocheck is the extra skater who is primarily being used for faceoffs and PK duty. These are the types of games that the United States will need contributions from everyone, and both will need to make the most of their minutes in what will be a win or go home game.
The offense has been pretty balanced, and thus far two skaters have five points (Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk), two skaters have four points (Jack Eichel and Quinn Hughes), three skaters have three points (Brady Tkachuk, Brock Nelson, and Jack Hughes) and then there's five others besides Trocheck with two points.
Puck drop for Wednesday's USA-Sweden matchup is 3:10 p.m. Eastern, and you can catch the action on NBC.