United States vs. Latvia odds, prediction: 2026 Winter Olympics men's ice hockey best bets from proven expert

The United States men's hockey team takes the ice for the first time in the 2026 Winter Olympics when it takes on Latvia on Thursday. This Group C matchup will pit the world's top-ranked team in the Americans versus the 10th-ranked Latvians. Team USA won gold at the 2025 World Championships and finished fifth at the last Olympic Games. Latvia placed 10th at last year's World Championships and was an 11th-place finisher at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Opening faceoff is set for 3:10 p.m. ET from the Unipol Dome in Milan, Italy. The United States is the -2400 favorite (risk $2,400 to win $100) on the money line in the latest United States vs. Latvia odds from DraftKings Sportsbook, while the over/under for total goals scored is 6.5. 

Before making any USA vs. Latvia picks, or predictions, you NEED to see what the SportsLine expert Mike Severance has to say.

Severance is a well-connected writer and high-volume handicapper who has worked in the industry since 2005. After joining SportsLine, Matt quickly established himself as a top expert in multiple sports. He is SportsLine's top NHL expert, going 28-12 (+1526) over his last 40 NHL money line picks. Anybody following him could have seen HUGE returns!

Now, Severance has set his sights on the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. He's found a critical x-factor in Latvia vs. USA in men's hockey and has made his puck line and O/U picks.

So who wins United States vs. Latvia in men's ice hockey, and what are the best bets for this matchup?... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side you should be all over, all from the expert who has crushed his hockey picks!