Florida Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis assisted on his team’s first three goals in host Latvia’s 5-1 victory over Ukraine in Group E of Olympic qualifying. Balinskis finished the game with four shots on goal and a plus-one rating while playing on the first defense pair with Markuss Komuls as Latvia upped its record to 2-0 in the group. They will meet undefeated France, who beat Slovenia 5-1, on Sunday with the winner grabbing one of three remaining spots in the 2026 Games in Italy.
In other games on Friday, in Group D, Kazakhstan nipped Austria 2-1; and Slovakia pounded Hungary by a 7-3 count. In Group F, Norway rolled to a 6-2 win over Great Britain; and host Denmark edged Japan 3-2 in overtime with veteran NHLer Lars Eller getting the game-winning goal.
Sunday’s games
Group D
- Austria (0-2) vs Hungary (0-2)
- Slovakia (2-0) vs. Kazakhstan (2-0) winner advances to Olympics
Group E
- Slovenia (0-2) vs Ukraine (0-2)
- Latvia (2-0) vs. France (2-0) winner advances to Olympics
Group F
- Great Britain (0-2) vs Japan (0-1-1)
- Denmark (2-0) vs. Norway (2-0) winner advances to Olympics