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Draisaitl quiet in Germany loss to USA, but sees better path forward: Recap, Reaction, and Highlights
Team Germany Leon Draisaitl
Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Feb 15, 2026, 18:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 15, 2026, 18:18 EST
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Losing to Team USA was the best possible result for Team Germany.
On Sunday afternoon, Leon Draisaitl and the Germans faced off against Team USA in the final preliminary game of the Olympics. It went about as well as you’d expect, as Team USA won 5-1, finishing on top of Group C in the process. More on this in takeaways.
Team Germany was able to fend off Team USA in the first period, with the game being relatively close in shots. However, Zach Werenski beat the German netminder with just nine seconds left in the period.
Early in the second period, Auston Matthews scored the game-winning goal on a power play. About four minutes later, Brock Faber scored from the point to give Team USA some insurance. That gave Team USA a 3-0 lead heading into the third period, needing seven goals to overtake Team Canada in the standings.
Two minutes into the third period, Tage Thompson scored to make it 4-0 for Team USA, then Matthews scored his second of the game about seven minutes into the final frame. Thankfully, that was all Team USA was able to muster, with Tim Stützle scoring midway through the third, with J.J. Peterka picked up an assist.

Takeaways…

  • So how is this good for Team Germany? Well, since they finished second in Group C (better goal differential than Team Denmark and Team Latvia in the games the three teams played against each other), they’ll play Team France in the qualifying playoff. Assuming they win that, they’ll play Team Slovakia in the quarterfinals, the easiest matchup they could’ve hoped for.
  • Since Team USA won the group and Team Sweden finished third in their group (seventh in the standings), those two teams are on a collision course for a quarterfinals matchup, as long as Team Sweden defeats Team Latvia.
  • As for Draisaitl, he was involved in the game, but not in the way he had been involved in the other two group stage games. After playing 28 minutes and finishing with 10 shots on Saturday, he finished Sunday’s game with no shots and 20 minutes of ice time. Draisaitl also won 11 of 17 faceoffs.
  • Hard to do much with Matthew Tkachuk draped all over you for the entirety of the game. Thanks to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals between the two teams, Tkachuk and Draisaitl are familiar with one another, but make no mistake about it, Draisaitl is the far better player.
  • Josh Samanski was pretty unnoticeable in this game, playing 16 and a half minutes and failing to register a shot in that time. Moritz Seider was Team Germany’s best player, while Tim Stützle scored his fourth of the tournament.
  • Team Germany’s next game is against France on Tuesday with an undetermined time. On the flip side, Team Canada’s opponent is yet to be determined, but they’ll either have a rematch with Team Czechia or face Team Denmark on Wednesday.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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