Team Sweden fell 4-1 to rival Finland in their second preliminary round game at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. The loss highlighted struggles with special teams and early-game energy for the Swedes, who now prepare for a crucial matchup against Slovakia. Captain Gabriel Landeskog emphasized the need to elevate their performance.
At Santagiulia Arena in Milan, Sweden dropped to a 1-0-1-0 record in Group B after the defeat on Friday. Finland capitalized on Sweden's sluggish start, building a lead that the Swedes could not overcome despite improvements as the game progressed.
Sweden's power play, featuring NHL stars like Mika Zibanejad and William Nylander, converted just once on six opportunities. Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin scored at 4:39 of the second period to narrow the gap to 2-1. However, moments later, Finland's Joel Armia netted a short-handed goal at 12:47, extending the lead to 3-1 in a play that coach Sam Hallam described as pivotal. The sequence began with a battle along the boards involving Zibanejad, Nylander, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Finland's Erik Haula, where the puck popped loose to Armia for a breakaway against goalie Filip Gustavsson.
"We score a goal on the power play, we get another [power play], we're feeling like this is our way back," Hallam said. "Instead, they score a goal on their PK. And now after the game, it feels like that's pretty much where this game is decided."
Gustavsson made 20 saves in the loss. Landeskog noted the team's first-period sleepiness contrasted with Finland's energy. "I thought tonight we're a little bit sleepy in the first period and they were not, and then thought we got better as the game went on," he said.
Zibanejad pointed to defensive structure issues: "I think at times maybe we're stretched out a little bit too much. ... Just a little bit closer and a little more speed."
Sweden faces undefeated Slovakia on Saturday at 6:10 a.m. ET. A win could secure a group-topping bye to the quarterfinals, depending on other results and tiebreakers. The team, with gold-medal aspirations, focuses on building chemistry in lines, pairings, and special teams ahead of the single-elimination stage.
