Any international ice hockey fan tuning into the first day of the men’s hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics probably had a pretty good idea of how the day would go — heavyweights Finland and Sweden, full of NHL talent, would easily dispatch Slovakia and Italy, respectively, in tune-ups for their rivalry showdown on Friday.
But neither Slovakia nor Italy were ready to make that happen.
Slovakia shocked Finland in the opener, 4-1, making Friday’s Finland-Sweden game a must-win for the Finns. Juraj Slafkovský, the former No. 1 overall pick of the Montreal Canadiens, turned in a sensational performance with two goals and an assist.
Then Italy jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first period thanks to a bizarre mistake from star Sweden and Minnesota Wild goalkeeper Filip Gustavsson, and the host nation hung in against a relentless Swedish attack behind a racous home crowd and a spectacular effort from goalkeeper Damian Clara. However, the return of Sweden captain and Colorado Avalanche superstar Gabriel Landeskog combined with a third-period leg injury that knocked Clara out proved too difficult for Italy to overcome as Sweden pulled away late for a 5-2 win.
Mark Lazerus and Pierre LeBrun have more on what they saw on a dramatic first day of Olympic men’s hockey in Milan.
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