Larkin Olympic Update: Detroit Captain Stars in Win vs. Sweden

Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin, playing a third-line role for Team USA, had a key role in the Americans’ 2-1 overtime win against Lucas Raymond’s Swedish team.

With the win, Larkin is guaranteed to play in either the gold or bronze-medal game.

Larkin scored the USA’s first goal, redirecting Jack Hughes’ shot past Jacob Markstrom at 11:03 of the second period. Quinn Hughes also drew an assist.  Larkin also played strong defense and won several key faceoffs to help his team reach the semifinals.

After the Swedes pulled their goalie, Larkin’s Detroit linemate Lucas Raymond set up Mika Zibanejad for the tying goal. But a Quinn Hughes overtime tally won it for the Americans.

The Americans will play Slovakia on Friday, while Canada will meet Finland in the other semifinal. Canada beat the Czechia 4-3 in overtime to advance. The winners will meet in the gold medal game.

TOI

Larkin played 14:58 minutes, including 1:06 in overtime. He was on the ice with Jack Hughes and Tage Thompson when he scored his first goal of the tournament.

DYLAN LARKIN AND TEAM USA ADVANCE pic.twitter.com/PLr2peBvEQ

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 18, 2026

Production

Even though Larkin is playing a defensive role, the American coaches expect Detroit’s No. 1 center to turn quality defense into offensive chances. In overtime, Larkin knocked a puck away in the defensive zone and immediately moved the puck into the offensive zone to create a scoring chance. Along with his goal, Larkin had three shots on goal and was plus-1. He was also 6-0 in the faceoff circle.  Larkin is now 25-5 (83.3%) on faceoffs in the tournament. Coach Mike Sullivan uses Larkin on every important offensive draw.

Analysis

It’s easy to see why Detroit GM Steve Yzerman pushed hard to acquire Quinn Hughes. Yzerman was willing to pay a heavy price for Hughes if he had been willing to commit to a contract extension with the Red Wings. Hughes wants to keep his options open with free agency available to him a year from this summer.  In a tournament featuring the NHL’s best players, Hughes often looks in charge offensively. . . Larkin only has two points, and yet his contributions are being recognized as if he’s a top scorer. It was also like this last season when Larkin played a similar role for the USA at the 4 Nations Faceoff.

Game Notes

When the Americans play Slovakia, Larkin will be facing former Red Wings player Tomas Tatar… Quinn Hughes has at least one point in each of the USA’s four games.

Next Game

The Americans play Slovakia in the Olympic Semifinals on Friday at 3:10 p.m. ET. If they win, they are in the gold medal game.