Team USA survived a late scare Wednesday night, defeating Sweden 2-1 in overtime to advance to the semifinals of the 2026 Winter Olympics men’s hockey tournament.

The United States carried a 1-0 lead deep into the third period before Sweden tied the game with just 1:31 remaining in regulation. The matchup moved to a 10-minute three-on-three overtime session, where Quinn Hughes delivered the game-winner.

Moments before scoring, Hughes waved off the American bench’s call for a line change. He then used his skating and puck control to create space and fired a wrist shot past Swedish goaltender Jacob Markstrom to seal the victory. Hughes logged 27:31 of ice time, assisted on the Americans’ first goal, and capped the night with the overtime winner.

Dylan Larkin accounted for the U.S. goal in regulation, starting the play by winning an offensive zone faceoff and finishing it with a deflection at the net front. He also played a key defensive role, disrupting Sweden’s lone power play opportunity in the third period as the Americans protected their narrow lead.

Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck turned aside 28 of 29 shots. His most critical stop came in the second period, when he slid across the crease to make a glove save on Swedish winger Lucas Raymond, who had an open look from the back door. The save preserved a scoreless tie at the time and kept momentum on the American side.

The performance from Hughes underscored his impact on both ends of the ice. Widely regarded as one of the top defensemen in the world, he controlled play in overtime, maintaining possession and keeping defenders at bay before finishing the decisive sequence himself.

With the victory, the United States advances to face Slovakia in Friday’s semifinal. Puck drop is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. ET, with a trip to the gold medal game on the line.