Sweden's Tre Kronor started the Olympic ice hockey tournament with a 5–2 victory over host nation Italy in Milan, but the game was closer than expected. The Swedes were pressured by the Italians, who tied the score twice despite Sweden's superior roster of NHL stars. Coach Sam Hallam calls for improvements ahead of the Finland matchup.
Tre Kronor faced Italy in the Olympic opener on February 11, 2026, in Milan. The game at the Sant'Giulia arena turned into a tense affair where Sweden, ranked fourth globally, did not dominate as anticipated against 18th-ranked Italy.
The shock came early at 4:14 when goaltender Filip Gustavsson dropped his stick on a long shot, allowing Luca Frigo to score 1–0. Sweden responded quickly: Gabriel Landeskog tied it 1–1 on a power play at 9:06, and Gustav Forsling made it 2–1 on a rebound with 2:07 left in the first period. Sweden outshot Italy 27–3 in the period, but goaltender Damien Clara made key saves.
In the second period, Italy tied it again at 37 seconds through Matt Bradley, assisted by Dustin Gazley, to 2–2—their second goal on four shots. William Nylander regained the lead 3–2 with an assist from Rasmus Dahlin. Clara was injured in the third and replaced by Davide Fadani.
Sweden sealed the win late: Mika Zibanejad scored 4–2 with Dahlin's assist, and Victor Hedman finished 5–2 into an empty net. Despite the victory, expert Håkan Loob was unimpressed: “There is much to think about. Many questions.” Coach Sam Hallam told TV4: “We get a bit sloppy. We need to be much better in two days against Finland.”
Rasmus Dahlin noted: “We could have scored a few more.” Gabriel Landeskog emphasized: “We're trying to find the chemistry.” Gustavsson called Italy's goal “lucky” and described it as hard to get into the game when Sweden dominates. The next match is against Finland on February 14.
