American hockey's path to an Olympic gold medal just got significantly harder

You're the United States. You swept the Group C competition and pulled away from your opponents in overwhelming fashion. The vibes are good and "Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd is blaring in the background. You get a bye and have taken care of your business.

Life should be good for you, considering that you have that bye. Players like Jack Eichel, Quinn Hughes, Auston Matthews, and Matthew Tkachuk have thrived. In turn, the Americans are excited to see who they play next. However, there's one small problem...

Now, this won't be a problem if Latvia does the unthinkable and upsets Sweden. However, the firepower that the Swedes have makes this unlikely, making life even harder for the United States. Heck, even Latvia gave America trouble early before eventually pulling away.

You see, Sweden is no joke on the ice. They have big names like Lucas Raymond, Filip Gustavsson, and Rasmus Dahlin that can make life impossible for any team. In fact, numerous experts and hockey fans have named Sweden as a team to watch for winning a gold medal.

That could also put a damper on America's hopes and dream of winning a gold medal themselves. They would've preferred to get a rematch with the Germans, especially with the Eichel & Tkachuks line shutting down Leon Draisaitl. Heck, they would've preferred Switzerland, given their relatively top-heavy lineup that can be managed.

How the United States can handle Sweden (or Latvia) in a quarterfinal matchup

Latvia is relatively simple. All you have to do is rely on your overwhelming firepower, whether that's Jack Eichel or Quinn Hughes. If you can bank on that and get a strong netminding performance, you're good to go. But the Swedes are a different story.

Sweden is exceptionally strong in the transition game, using puck-moving skaters in every position. It doesn't matter if it's the blue line or the forwards. Having an excess of playmakers makes the team even more dangerous.

That's not even mentioning how Sweden has relied on solid shooters like Adrian Kempe and Mika Zibanajed to carry the load. That could put the United States on the defensive throughout a hypothetical game, hurting their chances of winning a gold medal.

Add in a dash of goaltending and this matchup becomes even more complicated. Gustavsson can steal a game for the Swedes (or any team), withstanding any offensive barrage. That's not good news for America, who relies on fluid puck movements to beat their opponents.

How Jack Eichel plays a role in preventing the Swedes from gaining offensive dominance over the United States

Eichel does phenomenally well in the two-way department, playing hard in every zone. He's terrific at disrupting plays and making life impossible for his opponents, whether that's on the penalty kill or even strength. That means the Golden Knights superstar must use his two-way game to disrupt Sweden's potent transition game.

But it isn't just Eichel that can do this. America must call upon its other big names to take on the transition game. That means Auston Matthews can't coast into the defensive zone and lag. That also means that sticks must be out on the ice at all times, picking up on pucks and creating turnovers.

That's why some people have called for Eichel to become Team USA's Captain during the Olympics. They've seen what the Golden Knights megastar can do when given the spotlight, carrying his country to new heights. If the Americans can unleash the center's talents in a hypothetical Sweden matchup, they can brush this aside and continue to rock out to "Free Bird."