Dylan Larkin and Tage Thompson aren't just battling out in different uniforms to help their respective teams end their playoff droughts. While they would love to catapult the Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres into the postseason, they would also like to represent their country at the 2026 Winter Olympics and help Team USA win a Gold Medal.
That audition will get serious starting on Wednesday night when the two square off. Larkin will look to continue his dominant season, while Thompson will hope to find some consistency. So right now, it looks like Larkin has the upper hand, but Thompson can get hot at any time.
Two U.S. hockey stars go head-to-head tonight on @NHL_on_TNT when Dylan Larkin and the @DetroitRedWings put their five-game win streak on the line against Tage Thompson and the @BuffaloSabres. pic.twitter.com/xhFSbpJmdC
— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) October 22, 2025
So far in 2025-26, Larkin is playing like he plans on making a run at the Hart Trophy. He has 11 points and five goals in six games, with a league-leading plus-9 rating. Larkin has also won 59.6 percent of his faceoffs and has averaged an incredible 20 minutes and 12 seconds of average ice time.
Dylan Larkin and Tage Thompson will battle on multiple fronts this season
Meanwhile, Thompson has four points and one goal in six games, shooting at an abysmal 4.5 percent. He has been a sledgehammer though, with 17 body checks, but his face-off win percentage is a meager 46.8, and he has averaged just 19 minutes and two seconds per game.
A head-to-head matchup could start tipping the scales heavily in favor of one over the other. Should Larkin shine and Thompson play another above-average, at best, game, look for the Wings' captain to inch that much closer to securing his spot on Team USA.
Larkin and Thompson can both wind up on Team USA
Even if Larkin has the upper hand, Thompson has some credentials, having scored the game-winning goal to help Team USA take the Gold Medal in the 2025 IIHF World Championship. Larkin, however, represented the U.S. at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, where he and Team USA fell to Team Canada in the Championship.
It's also worth noting that Larkin and Thompson could put their NHL rivalry aside and end up on Team USA as teammates. Both have shown they can be the best forwards on their NHL squads, and, while Larkin is putting up legendary numbers now, Thompson has done the same, putting up 47 goals and 94 points in 2022-23. He has also scored at least 38 goals in three of the past four seasons.
So, if you plan on watching the 2026 Winter Olympics, Larkin and Thompson are two players to keep an eye on Wednesday, and again on Nov. 15, as they will put in extra effort to try and earn a spot on that Olympic squad.