Sweden secured a 5-2 victory over host nation Italy in their Group B opener at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Despite an early lead by Italy and some defensive lapses, Sweden dominated with 60 shots on goal, setting an Olympic record. William Nylander's tie-breaking goal proved pivotal in the win.
The match at Santagiulia Arena began with a nightmare start for Sweden. Just over four minutes in, Italian forward Luca Frigo capitalized on a mishandled puck by goaltender Filip Gustavsson, who dropped his stick and allowed a rebound straight into the slot, giving Italy a 1-0 lead. Gustavsson faced criticism from NHL legend Henrik Lundqvist, who noted, "Den ska han bara kontrollera" (He should just control that one), emphasizing the need for better puck control.
Sweden quickly responded. Captain Gabriel Landeskog, returning from injuries and playing his first international game since 2019, tied the score at 1-1 with a power-play goal at 9:06, one-timing a pass from Mika Zibanejad. Gustav Forsling then put Sweden ahead 2-1 at 17:53, wristing a rebound past Italy's Damian Clara.
Italy fought back early in the second period, tying it 2-2 at 0:37 through Matthew Bradley, who finished a cross-slot pass from a rush. Sweden regained control when Nylander, whose participation was uncertain after missing practice, scored on a backhand at 16:46 to make it 3-2. Zibanejad extended the lead to 4-2 at 15:42 in the third with a wrist shot from near the blue line, screening with Elias Pettersson. Victor Hedman sealed the 5-2 win with an empty-net goal at 17:11.
Sweden outshot Italy 60-22, with Clara making 46 saves before exiting with a lower-body injury after denying Pettersson on a breakaway at 6:08 of the third period. Davide Fadani relieved him, allowing one goal on nine shots. Zibanejad and Rasmus Dahlin each recorded three points for Sweden.
Adrian Kempe reflected on the game, saying, "Vi hade kunnat få några powerplay till" (We could have had a few more powerplays), noting Italy's physical play and home crowd support. TV4 expert Staffan Kronwall praised Nylander: "Hans skicklighetsnivå... det är nästan löjligt" (His skill level... it's almost ridiculous). The win sets up Sweden's next game against Finland on Friday.
