Juraj Slafkovsky scored twice to lead Slovakia to a 4-1 victory over Finland in the opening game of the men's hockey tournament at the 2026 Milan Olympics. Samuel Hlavaj made 39 saves in net for the Slovaks, while Finland outshot them 40-25 but managed only one goal. The win marks Slovakia's first Olympic victory against Finland in four meetings.
The game took place on February 11, 2026, at Santagiulia Arena in Milan, Italy, as the Group B preliminary-round opener of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 men's hockey tournament. Slovakia, with just seven NHL players on their roster, stunned the heavily favored Finland, who featured an almost entirely NHL lineup including stars like Mikko Rantanen and Sebastian Aho.
Slovakia struck first at 7:45 of the first period when Slafkovsky, a forward for the Montreal Canadiens, capitalized on a turnover by Finland defenseman Mikko Lehtonen. He deked past Roope Hintz, curled around goaltender Juuse Saros, and tucked the puck into the empty net. Finland tied the game on a power play at 4:15 of the second period with a goal from Eeli Tolvanen, but the score remained level until the third.
Early in the third, Dalibor Dvorsky of the St. Louis Blues scored to give Slovakia a 2-1 lead. Slafkovsky added his second goal on a power play at 10:30, wiring a shot over Saros's right arm after rattling the crossbar. With 4:25 left and Saros pulled for an extra attacker, Adam Ruzicka sealed the 4-1 win with an empty-net goal at 17:39, assisted by Slafkovsky.
Hlavaj, a 24-year-old prospect for the Minnesota Wild playing in the AHL, stopped 39 of 40 shots, setting a record for saves by a Slovak goaltender in an Olympics with NHL players. "He was fantastic all game long," said Dvorsky. Finland dominated possession but lacked finish, as Rantanen noted post-game: "We need to have more traffic on goal... more desperation in the area in front of the net."
The loss leaves Finland (0-1) facing rival Sweden on February 13, while Slovakia (1-0) meets host Italy the same day. Slafkovsky, who scored seven goals en route to bronze in 2022, now has nine Olympic goals.
