Matt Boldy on Team USA’s Olympic goal: ‘We’re going over there for one reason’

The most anticipated rematch in men’s hockey at the Olympics might not even happen.

Canada outlasted the United States in an overtime nailbiter to win last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off after the U.S. won a slugfest earlier in the tournament. The thought of Round 3 in the Milan Cortina Games has made for a tantalizing countdown.

If that was only a preview of the best-on-best competition the world could expect when NHLers returned to the Winter Games for the first time in 12 years, imagine the rivalry with a gold medal on the line.

But because Team USA and Canada are in different groups, there’s no guarantee they will face off at the Olympics … at all.

So, instead of assembling a roster to match up against the Canadians, the Americans focused on a different team: their own.

“We’re worried about us,” Team USA General Manager Bill Guerin said, “not anybody else.”

The U.S. lineup will look familiar to the one that fell a goal short to the Canadians a year ago.

Although Hughes was initially picked for the 4 Nations Face-Off, he was unable to play because of injury, and his addition is the most dynamic change for Team USA — the what-if question lingering from the loss to Canada.

“His skating is fantastic,” said Guerin, the Wild’s president of hockey operations who traded for Hughes from Vancouver in a midseason blockbuster. “His ability to help us get out of our own zone and to move the puck up the ice as quick as possible by either A) skating it or B) moving it quickly.

“He always seems to be one step ahead, and I know what he’s done for our Wild team, and it’s been incredible. So, I think he’s going to be able to bring those same attributes to Team USA. Obviously, the power-play stuff and 4-on-4, 3-on-3, whatever it is, he’s an elite player in those situations.”

Not on Team USA are three of the four highest goal-scoring Americans in the NHL.

Left off the roster were Montreal’s Cole Caufield, Dallas’ Jason Robertson and Detroit’s Alex DeBrincat. Caufield has 32 goals, 12 of which came after the U.S. team was announced; Robertson, the second-leading point-scorer among Americans in the NHL this season, also has 32 goals and DeBrincat 30.

“But we have to make a team. If we’re doing it like that, then you don’t need a general manager. You don’t need a coach. Just do it by stats. We actually have to build a team. We have to fill roles. We have certain responsibilities that go up and down the lineup that we need that are elite in those categories.”

What Guerin liked about the 4 Nations group was its cohesiveness and chemistry and the willingness players had to accept responsibilities that were different from their NHL teams.

The same coaching staff will also be in place, led by Rangers coach Mike Sullivan, with the Wild’s John Hynes, David Quinn and John Tortorella the assistants.

“The 4 Nations was one of the highlights of my life,” said Florida forward Matthew Tkachuk, who was involved in one of the three fights that teed off the first game between the U.S. and Canada that the Americans won 3-1. “Would have been way better with better results, but just fortunate enough to represent my country once at the highest level.

“Being an NHLer, you wish there were more opportunities leading up to this, but I think this buildup of the last 12 years, it’s gonna make [the] 2026 Games really special.”

It can’t be since fighting is prohibited in the Olympics. The format is also longer, with preliminary games for the four teams in each of the three groups. Then after qualification playoff games, the quarterfinals and semifinals will lead up to bronze and gold medal showdowns.

Team USA’s first game in Group C is Thursday, Feb. 12, vs. Latvia.

The Americans will also play Denmark and Germany. Canada is in Group A, with Finland and Sweden in Group B.

“At the Olympics, every game matters so much, so you’re not playing in a way that will hurt your team,” said Carolina defenseman Jaccob Slavin, who was paired with the Wild’s Brock Faber at the 4 Nations. “So, yes, it will still be high intensity, really good, competitive hockey. But I think it’ll be a little different.”

Same with the stakes.