The two favourites in Group E both registered 5-1 wins to stay unbeaten on Friday, France defeating Slovenia and host Latvia downing Ukraine. Thus, the French and Latvians will battle for a spot in the 2026 Olympic Winter Games on Sunday.

France – Slovenia 5-1 (2-0, 0-1, 3-0)

While both teams had less than 24 hours to recover from their Group E openers at the 2024 Men’s Final Olympic Ice Hockey Qualification, France had the advantage of having played the earlier game. Maybe those few hours made a difference. At least Les Bleus took charge of this game from the get-go.

NHL ace Alexandre Texier led the way for France with three goals. 
 
Just 6.18 in, Texier redirected Charles Bertrand’s pass and then flipped the puck over goalie Matija Pintaric’s pad into the Slovenian net to give France a 1-0 lead. Five minutes later, it was Stephane Da Costa who set up Texier with a cross-ice pass that Texier one-timed top shelf.  Pintaric didn’t have a chance. 
 
In the middle frame, things settled down and Slovenia got into the game. French netminder Quentin Papillon managed to turn away Slovenia’s early chances, but at 15:25, Jan Urbas deflected Ziga Jeglic’s shot from the slot through Papillon’s five-hole to make it a one-goal game.
 
The momentum shifted back to France when Texier completed his hat trick at 5.43 of the third. He tiptoed in from the blue line and fired a wrister that deflected off a Slovenia stick into the net. 
 
Tim Bozon made it 4-1 just 32 seconds later when he re-directed Pierrick Dube’s accurate cross-ice pass past Pintaric. 
                                                                                    
Halfway through the period Bozon sealed the deal with his second of the day. He put a wrister into an empty Slovenian net after Pintaric collided with his defenceman, leaving the net wide open.

Ukraine – Latvia 1-5 (0-2, 0-3, 1-0)

The hosts needed a win over Ukraine to keep their Olympic dreams alive, and everybody in the Riga Arena knew what that meant: Relentless Latvian pressure, cheered on by the home crowd. 
 
And that formula worked. Ukraine fought back for fifteen minutes, but then gave up two goals in 67 seconds. 
 
With five minutes remaining in the first period, Latvia had a faceoff in its own zone. Miks Indrasis caried the puck into the Ukrainian zone and waited for Dans Locmelis to catch up with the attack. Locmelis looked up and fired a wrist shot that beat Ukrainian goalie Eduard Zakharchenko high on the glove side. 
 
On the next shift, the Ukrainian defenders left Roberts Bukarts alone in front of the net. When Martins Dzierkals passed him the puck from behind the net, the 34-year-old veteran had plenty of time to beat Zakharchenko and give the hosts a 2-0 lead.
 
In the second period, Ukraine got into penalty trouble. First, Latvia’s captain Kaspars Daugavins set up Haralds Egle for a slap shot that gave Latvia a 3-0 lead at 9:22 and chased Zakharchenko out of Ukraine’s net.  
 
Back-up goalie Bogdan Dyachenko had only been in for two minutes when it was time for another Latvian power play. The younger Bukarts, RIhards, scored on a breakaway. 
 
And 88 seconds later, Latvia made it 5-0 after an elegant tic-tac-toe play that sent the puck around the Ukraine zone before it landed on Indrasis’s stick. He didn't miss from close range. 
 
Danil Trakht ended Kristers Gudlevskis's shutout bid with 11 minutes left in the third period, as his shot from behind the goal line hit the Latvian goalie and bounced in to make it 5-1. 

But for Latvia, the win was the only thing that mattered. Two down, one to go. Versus France on Sunday, the Latvians will try to maintain their record of never missing an Olympic men's hockey tournament in the 21st century.