This alarming stat isn’t on Team USA’s side vs Sweden

That streak is not a cute trivia nugget anymore. It’s a weight that shows up the second the puck drops.

The stat making the rounds comes from Jason Demers, shared by Empty Netters. USA has lost or tied eight straight Olympic meetings with Sweden.

That’s the kind of number players pretend they don’t care about. Coaches absolutely care about it.

This one is also an elimination game, so there’s no “learn from it” option. Wednesday is either a breakthrough or a flight home.

Here’s the tweet that lit the fuse on the conversation.

The cold truth checks out historically. Team USA’s last Olympic win over Sweden was on February 22, 1960.

Since then, it’s been a mix of losses and ties, including those 1980 and 1992 draws that still feel weird in a modern hockey brain.

Now it’s Sweden again, in Milano, with a medal round on the line. The matchup is scheduled for Wednesday, February 18 at Santagiulia.

If you’re a USA fan, you know the feeling, because Sweden always looks calm, even when they’re under siege.

That calm is why this matchup is so annoying. Sweden doesn’t hand out free odd-man rushes, and they don’t get rattled by one big hit.

Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk and Team USA are a proud group, and they can’t let that history mess with their head. In a single-elimination game, the only thing that matters is the next shift.

That’s why Wednesday is a chance to flip the script in one night. Beat Sweden once, and 66 years of Olympic baggage evaporates fast.

If Team USA wants a medal, this is the kind of game they have to win anyway. History or not, Sweden is the gate.