Latvia unveiled its roster for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 on Tuesday, headlined by Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins. The best Latvia has finished in the tournament was the 2014 Sochi Olympics, when it reached the quarterfinals. This is the first group of NHL players to represent Latvia at the Olympics since then.

SportsLine's expert Mike Severance reveals his USA vs. Latvia picks for their Winter Olympics men's hockey matchup on Thursday

In a showdown between three members of the Canucks organization, it was Teddy Blueger and Anri Ravinskis who came out victorious with Latvia taking a 4–3 win against Germany. Latvia’s first win of the tournament came with a different goaltender in net, as former Canuck Artūrs Šilovs started for his team today.

Erik Karlsson said Team Sweden came to the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 knowing they would eventually play the United States. As the Swedish defenseman once famously said, the time is nigh.

Severance is coming off an outstanding NHL season in which he went 235-155-21 (plus $2,022). He entered the Olympic break on a 26-12 roll on NHL money-line picks this season, returning $1,326 for $100 players. Anyone following his hockey picks at their favorite sportsbooks could have seen huge returns.