Tim Stutzle scored twice to lead Germany to a 3-1 victory over Denmark in their Group C opener at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Leon Draisaitl contributed a goal and an assist in his debut as captain, while Philipp Grubauer made 37 saves. The win highlights Germany's strong start with NHL stars on the roster.
At the RHO Arena in Milan, Germany opened the men's hockey tournament at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 with a 3-1 win against Denmark on Thursday. The game started at 9 p.m. local time.
Leon Draisaitl, making his debut as captain, scored just 23 seconds into the first period, redirecting a pass from childhood friend Frederik Tiffels past Denmark goaltender Frederik Andersen to give Germany a 1-0 lead. Tiffels, who plays for Eisbaren Berlin in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, and Draisaitl grew up playing hockey together in Cologne. "It was cool that Freddy and I could do that together," Draisaitl said. "That’s special. We played these games together as kids in the streets of Cologne. That was emotional, no question, but it was just as important to get the win."
Denmark tied the game at 1-1 at 13:09 of the first when Oscar Fisker Molgaard redirected a centering pass from Nikolaj Ehlers under Grubauer's pad. In the second period, Tim Stutzle restored Germany's lead at 4:20 with a one-timer from the right hash marks, assisted by JJ Peterka. Stutzle added his second goal at 10:02 on a power play, his centering pass deflecting off Denmark defenseman Oliver Lauridsen past Andersen, with Draisaitl earning the assist.
Grubauer stopped 37 of 38 shots faced, while Andersen made 23 saves for Denmark. Germany coach Harold Kreis praised his team's effort: "The Danes skate well and they are big guys, too. I think they were trying to take away time and space from Leon. They played him physical a couple of times, but it doesn’t bother him."
Stutzle reflected on the momentum shift: "I think [my first goal] was a big goal, going up 2-1 after they scored, and it kind of gave the momentum back to us." Germany improves to 1-0-0-0 in Group C and faces Latvia on Saturday, while Denmark plays the United States the same day.
