The men's hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics began in Milan with underdogs Slovakia and Italy putting up strong showings against favored opponents. Slovakia defeated Finland 4-1, while host Italy nearly upset Sweden in a 3-2 loss. Switzerland also secured a 4-0 shutout victory over France.
The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 men's hockey tournament kicked off on Wednesday, February 11, in Milan with three Group stage games highlighting the early action. In Group B, Team Slovakia upset Team Finland 4-1, with forward Juraj Slafkovsky scoring twice for the Montreal Canadiens player. Goalie Samuel Hlavaj, a Minnesota Wild prospect playing in the American Hockey League, made 39 saves to anchor the win. Slovakia coach called his team dangerous underdogs who backed up their words on the ice.
Host Team Italy, without any NHL players on its roster, challenged Group B favorite Sweden in a 3-2 defeat. Sweden's Filip Gustavsson of the Minnesota Wild started in goal but allowed two goals on the first four shots faced. Coach Sam Hallam had planned to stick with his starter for the next game against Finland on Friday, but the shaky start raised questions about possibly turning to Jacob Markstrom of the New Jersey Devils. Italy's Damian Clara, an Anaheim Ducks prospect, kept his team competitive until leaving with an apparent leg injury at 6:08 of the third period.
In Group A, Team Switzerland blanked Team France 4-0, with defenseman Roman Josi speaking post-game about the victory. Finland managed just one goal against Hlavaj, a tap-in by Eeli Tolvanen, despite 40 shots. Forward Sebastian Aho noted areas for improvement: "We've got to be better when we have the puck on our stick to score a goal. Maybe we could do a better job to get around the goalie. We're trying to learn from all these and hopefully we can score more goals out of the chances we got this game moving forward into the tournament."
Coaches added intrigue by keeping lineups close to the vest, with Sweden revealing its starter only 90 minutes before puck drop and Canada and Czechia holding closed practices.
