logo
FlamesNation has no direct affiliation to the Calgary Flames, Calgary Sports and Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA
Olympic Men’s Hockey Day 1 Recap: Slovakia upsets Finland and Italy gives Sweden a scare
alt
Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Adrian Kiss
Feb 11, 2026, 18:30 ESTUpdated: Feb 11, 2026, 18:36 EST
Comments
We’re back, baby. True best-on-best Olympic hockey has returned for the first time since Sochi in 2014. While the 4 Nations Face-Off gave us a taste of this level of competition, it featured only four teams. Now, the best of the best from the top hockey nations are competing for gold in Milan.
We were eased into the action on Day 1 with just two games from group B on the schedule, beginning with a match-up between the most recent Olympic gold- and bronze-medal winners from Beijing — Finland and Slovakia. Then, to cap off the day, the host Italians got their first taste of Olympic hockey since 2006 against a powerhouse in Sweden. Here’s how it unfolded.

🇫🇮 Finland vs. 🇸🇰 Slovakia

The opening minutes were played at a fervent pace. Everyone was skating hard, finishing checks and making plays. It was a proper welcome back to this level of competition.
Slovakia controlled the tempo early before Finland settled things down. Though the Finns began to look more composed, it was Slovakia that opened the scoring. On a hard drive to the net, Juraj Slafkovsky out-waited a sprawling Jussi Saros and buried the puck into an open net.
Finland found the equalizer on the tail end of a power play. Joel Armia spotted a wide-open Eeli Tolvanen at the side of the net, and Tolvanen made no mistake.
Slovak goaltender Samuel Hlavaj was the story through two periods. As one of the few teams in the tournament without an NHL goalie, there were questions about Slovakia’s ability to keep the puck out of the net. Hlavaj quickly erased those concerns. He stopped 32 of 33 shots through two period, making highlight-reel saves to keep his team in the game.
Slovakia fed off that performance in the third. Dalibor Dvorsky broke the tie by cashing in on a loose puck in front. Not long after, on the power play, Slafkovsky scored his second of the game to make it 3-1.
Finland pushed late but struggled to generate much offensively. The Slovaks added an empty-net goal on a bizarre sequence to seal an early upset victory.
Flames forward Martin Pospisil did not register a point but played his usual physical brand of hockey and was solid on the dot. He had a scary moment in the third when he took a forearm to the head along the boards. Pospisil stayed down briefly but remained in the game. Given his concussion history, that’s something worth monitoring.

🇸🇪 Sweden vs. 🇮🇹 Italy

We all had a sense of how this might go. Based on shots and possession, you’d think it followed the script — but the score told a different story. One thing’s for sure: the first period was electric.
Italy came out flying, energized by the home crowd. The Italians kept pace and took advantage of a Swedish side still shaking off some rust. Sweden was sloppy early, surrendering odd-man rushes, and a costly mistake by goaltender Filip Gustavsson allowed Italy to open the scoring.
A harmless-looking puck was flipped into the Swedish zone. Gustavsson misplayed it, pushing it into the slot while losing his stick. Luca Frigo, alone in front, capitalized to stun Sweden.
Gabriel Landeskog and Gustav Forsling responded before the period ended, tying the game and then giving Sweden the lead. Still, Italian netminder Damian Clara — a 2023 second-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks — stole the show. He turned aside 25 shots in the opening frame to keep Italy within reach.
Early in the second, Italy struck again. A pass from the corner found Matt Bradley, who beat Gustavsson short side to tie it. From there, the game settled somewhat. Sweden controlled possession but struggled to solve Clara. Italy aimed to reach the intermission tied, but William Nylander — who had been buzzing all night — buried one late in the period to restore Sweden’s lead.
Midway through the third, Clara sprawled to stop a shorthanded breakaway and appeared to injure his leg. He tried to remain in the game but was forced to leave after making 46 saves in a performance that was set for the record books if he could have stayed in. Milan native Davide Fadani came on in relief.
Italy’s chances were few and far between the rest of the way and they couldn’t bury any goals on the few chances they had. Mika Zibanejad added an insurance goal, and on Sweden’s 60th shot of the game, Victor Hedman scored into the empty net. Sweden escaped with a win in a game it likely expected to run away with. It’ll be interesting to see how the Swedes respond next time out.
Credit to Italy for refusing to roll over. With outstanding goaltending and relentless effort, the hosts made Sweden earn it right to the final horn.
Group B next games: 
  • 🇸🇪 Sweden: vs. 🇫🇮 Finland — Feb. 13
  • 🇮🇹 Italy: vs. 🇸🇰 Slovakia — Feb. 13

PRESENTED BY DAILY FACEOFF’S OLYMPIC COVERAGE

Catch Every Goal from the 2026 Milan Games! The 2026 Milan Games are almost here, and the world’s best men’s and women’s hockey players are ready to battle for gold! The Nation Network is bringing you every game, every jaw-dropping save, and all the drama with live reaction streams and full recaps. Don’t miss a moment of Olympic hockey action—men’s, women’s, and everything in between—on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel. Subscribe now and stay on top of every play!

Editorials

Breaking News