2026 Olympic Men’s Hockey: Everything you need to know from Feb. 13
Only two days of round-robin action remain at the men’s Olympic hockey tournament.
Canada and Slovakia are 2-0 at the tournament, with a chance to win their respective groups this weekend. Finland made Group B a bit more interesting by becoming the third team to win a game, while France gave Czechia a scare in the other Group A contest.
Here’s a look at the top performers from Friday in Milano:
Slovakia 3, Italy 2
Slovakia is the first team to move to 2-0 at the men’s Winter Olympic hockey tournament, beating Italy 3-2 on Friday afternoon.
With the win, Slovakia currently leads Group B with six points. Sweden and Finland are currently tied for second with three points each, while Italy has yet to get on the board.
Anyone who was expecting a low-scoring affair – especially after the goaltending we saw from both teams on Day 1 – wasn’t too surprised with the final result. The two teams elected to go with their backups today – Italy’s Davide Fadani and Slovakia’s Stanislav Skorvanek – and both looked good.
The Slovaks, though, were the better team offensively. Libor Hudacek scored on the power play to open the scoring at 23:51, with Matus Sukel adding another goal just under 10 minutes later. But Matt Bradley’s goal at 37:06 gave Italy some life, and then Dustin Gazley added one in the third for the Italians. Unfortunately for the hosts, Adam Ružička’s goal in the final stanza proved the game-winner, helping the Slovaks move to 2-0.
Italy
#35 Davide Fadani, G: It was going to be hard to top Damian Clara’s performance from Wednesday, but Fadani gave it his best effort. With Italy getting heavily outshot, Fadani looked up to the task, directing pucks away from danger consistently. Fadani was good at the Division IA World Championship last year, helping the Italians qualify for the main event in Switzerland later this year. Goaltending was always going to be a strength of this group heading into the Olympics, and it sure has been after 120 minutes of play.
#10 Dustin Gazley, RW: Gazley was one of Italy’s few forwards who proved capable of shooting at 5-on-5, and he scored the big 3-2 goal late in the game. He’s a battler – he’ll take physical punishment if it means having a chance at scoring in tight. Italy’s scoring chances have been limited, so they’ll need more from Gazley over the next few days.
#13 Matt Bradley, C: That’s another big game for the former Montreal Canadiens prospect. Bradley earned his citizenship prior to the Olympics, and without him, the offense would have been completely barren. Bradley loves spending time around the net, and has the natural skill to convert on rebounds and quick plays.
Slovakia
#20 Juraj Slafkovsky, RW (Montreal Canadiens): Surprise, surprise. Slafkovsky nabbed his second assist of the tournament on the first Slovak goal, making a nice cross-crease pass to Hudacek. By the time Italy had taken its eighth shot of the game, Slafkovsky had already taken six himself. He’s a dominant offensive force for a Slovak team that needs someone like him. It’ll only get harder from here, but Slafkovsky has been Slovakia’s most important player through two games, bar none.
#21 Adam Ružička, C: Ružička was everywhere in this one, especially on the power play. He finally scored on his fifth shot of the game, converting on a rebound in the slot to give the Slovaks some breathing room. While his NHL career ended abruptly, Ružička has remained a solid contributor in the KHL, and is now up to two goals for the Slovaks. That’s two solid games from the 6-foot-4 power forward who actually has some impressive hands.
#79 Libor Hudáček, LW: On the opposite end of the size spectrum, there’s Hudáček. At 5-foot-10, he’s definitely small, but he can’t be pushed around easily. He scored in this one because it was tough to move around the net, and he has some nice hands, too. Hudáček was a solid depth player at the 2022 Winter Games, but has shown he can play with a bit more skill when needed – he had 10 points at the 2024 World Championship. He was quiet against Finland, but Hudáček was much more noticeable today.
Finland 4, Sweden 1
You can always count on games involving Finland and Sweden to be entertaining, and the rough-and-tumble affair definitely delivered.
In the end, Finland managed to pull off a 4-1 victory to bounce back after a tough loss to Slovakia.
Slovakia’s victory against Italy will keep them in the top spot in Group B, but Finland, Sweden and Slovakia all have a chance at battling for the top spot heading into the final two days of round-robin action. Both Sweden and Finland have a goal differential of zero to keep things tight.
It was an ugly opening period for Sweden, who found themselves trailing 2-0 early. Ottawa Senators defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo scored his first goal of the season, in any division, on a point shot at 7:44. Eight minutes later, Anton Lundell managed to tip a shot from near the boards overtop goaltender Filip Gustavsson and in to make it a 2-0 game.
Sweden needed something early in the second to spark their comeback, and Rasmus Dahlin was able to score on the man advantage to make it 2-1. That gave Sweden some hope, only for Joel Armia to take advantage of a giveaway to make it 3-1 after 32:47. That ended up sealing the deal, with the Swedes failing to capitalize on any of their late-game scoring opportunities, while Mikko Rantanen would find the back of the empty net in the final minute of play.
Finland
#74 Juuse Saros, G (Nashville Predators): Saros was shaky against the Slovaks, but made 34 saves for the Finns today. He did a great job of tracking shots through traffic and stood tall during the third-period onslaught. Saros should be Finland’s No. 1 for the medal round, but they’ll need more performances like his today and less like the one on Wednesday, where he never seemed to look comfortable.
#23 Esa Lindell, D: (Dallas Stars): Lindell was all over the ice for the Finns. He had four shots in the first 40 minutes and probably should have had a goal or two for his efforts. Lindell has the ability to lean on someone like Miro Heiskanen as a D partner, but that allows Lindell to play a bit more freely and confidently with the puck.
#41 Miro Heiskanen, D (Dallas Stars): That’s two excellent games for Heiskanen now. Finland’s top defenseman averaged around nine minutes a period, and for good reason. He’s by far the team’s best defenseman, continuously shutting down opponents on the rush. His ability to slow the pace down when needed is great, and he has the speed to throw opponents off their game on the rush, as well.
#40 Joel Armia, C (Los Angeles Kings): Armia looked great as a depth guy for Finland in the first game and he upped the ante with a second-period goal today. He’s great at stealing the puck and has a nice, quick release – two things he put on display on his goal. Armia is a smart forward who plays with a lot of muscle and is fearless around the crease.
#15 Anton Lundell, C (Florida Panthers): Lundell was great in the first Finnish game, using his strong frame to force opponents to have to take their eyes off the puck to move him. His ability to get to the front of the net is critical to Finland’s attack, and it led to his 2-0 goal in the first period. He’s having an excellent season, and while he’s not a play-driver, he can definitely finish them – even in dirty areas. Lundell also saved a sure goal in the third period – his bench appreciated that.
Sweden
#26 Rasmus Dahlin, D (Buffalo Sabres): Dahlin has been Sweden’s best player through two games, and I’m not sure it’s even close. The Sabres defenseman is so underrated, especially with all the love guys like Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes receive. Dahlin is so smart, so skilled and plays with a boatload of confidence. He had three points in the opener against Italy and then scored the lone goal today on the power play. A huge effort, all around.
#23 Lucas Raymond, RW (Detroit Red Wings): While a goal still alludes him, I liked Raymond’s game, especially early. He had an assist on the Dahlin goal, and had three solid shots of his own as one of the few Swedish wingers who seemed determined to try and score tonight. Sweden’s offense is definitely an issue right now, but Raymond always seems to find ways to get quality chances on net for his country.
Czechia 6, France 3
Well, that was interesting.
It was easy to see Czechia vs. France on the schedule and assume it would be one-sided. But both were coming off shutout losses on Thursday and clearly had something to prove. Czechia ultimately won the game 6-3, but the final score doesn’t tell the whole story.
Czechia was by far the more dominant team early on, with Martin Necas and Michal Kempny scoring goals in a period in which Czechia outshot France 14-3. The second period was where nearly everything fell apart for Czechia, though. France scored three goals on five shots, with Louis Boudon scoring two goals and an assist, while Hugo Gallet would grab the other goal to give France the shocking lead.
A total collapse by the French power play in the final minute of the second threw everything off, though. Michal Stransky scored while shorthanded to make it 4-3, stunning the French team that finally started to look confident. Filip Chlapik and Roman Cervenka scored in the third to end the night, giving Czechia its first win of the tournament.
Czechia
#6 Michal Kempny, D: Kempny’s bid to join the Triple Gold Club resulted in his first Olympic goal. He has typically been a solid performer for his country, and his blast from the point was too quick for the French team to even realize he scored in the first period. Kempny is strong, skates well and plays with a ton of power. Today was a much better effort from him compared to Thursday, finishing the day with two points.
#12 Radek Faksa, C (Dallas Stars): Faksa wasn’t that noticeable beyond some penalty killing against Canada. Today, he had a pair of assists, and it felt like his puck play was so much more impactful. He’s still good away from the puck, and physically, he was tough to contain for the French. Not a bad effort overall.
#88 David Pastrnak, RW (Boston Bruins): It took a while, but Pastrnak got himself on the scoresheet for the first time. He had a goal and an assist as the Czechs rallied in the second half. His skill was unmatched, and his hockey sense was the best by a mile. He just needed the right opportunity to finally get one on the board after an invisible first game against Canada.
#98 Martin Necas, RW (Colorado Avalanche): With everyone focused on Pastrnak, that allowed Necas to stand alone and take passes all game. He scored the icebreaker in the first period and then would have likely scored again on his next shift had he not been hooked on the breakaway. His speed and skill were clearly way too much for the French defenders to handle today.
France
#36 Martin Neckar, G: The 20-year-old goaltender has never represented France at the World Championship. The decision to have him start against Czechia was a bit surprising. But after the nerves settled down following a tough first period, Neckar was a difference-maker for his team. His athleticism was exceptional, and he didn’t seem to get winded by the barrage of shots from Czechia, either. Talk about a special debut.
#8 Hugo Gallet, D: Gallet entered the game with zero goals in 34 Liiga games this season. Heck, he has just two goals in 37 World Championship games. But his snipe that made it 3-2 showed you that you don’t need to be an NHL goal-scorer to have a wicked wrister. His shot sparked the entire bench, proving to the French that they could truly win this. That was a moment he’ll never forget.
#29 Louis Boudon, C: Boudon’s second period will easily go down as the best of his career. He scored on back-to-back shots and then assisted on the third goal that gave the French the shocking lead. The 27-year-old played in the AHL a little bit in 2022-23 and 2023-24, so he’s no slouch. Internationally, he entered today’s game with just two goals in 27 World Championship games. So having the period he did to lift the Fench like he did was truly special.
Canada 5, Switzerland 1
Canada has become the second team to improve to 2-0 after beating Switzerland 5-1 in Group A men’s Olympic hockey action on Friday evening in Milano.
Canada will finish group play against France and currently has a front-row seat to earn Group A’s bye to the quarterfinal. Switzerland will play Czechia on Sunday, with the fight likely being for second place in the group.
A pair of first-period goals from Connor McDavid and Thomas Harley helped set the tone for Canada. Pius Suter would cut Canada’s lead in half at 12:42, ending the team’s shutout streak in games involving NHL goaltenders dating back to the quarterfinal against Latvia in 2014. But it wouldn’t matter in the end, as Macklin Celebrini, Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon would score goals of their own to seal the deal for the team in red and black.
Of note, Kevin Fiala was stretchered off the ice with about two minutes left to go with an apparent leg injury. This came after Denis Malgin and Andrea Glauser also left the game earlier with ailments.
Canada
#20 Thomas Harley, D (Dallas Stars): You can make an argument that Harley has been Canada’s best defenseman at this tournament. Sometimes, you just need a calm presence in your own zone – and he does that perfectly. Other times, you need a shooter – and he scored. Harley might not be the biggest name defender on Canada, but his impact has been massive.
#10 Nick Suzuki, LW (Montreal Canadiens): I didn’t love Suzuki’s opener against Czechia, especially early. But I thought he was much more solid today, being a defensive menace against the Swiss. He was one of Canada’s better-skating two-way forwards and continuously stole pucks away from the Swiss attack while forcing them into trouble. He also had a couple of nice shots, too.
#17 Macklin Celebrini, LW (San Jose Sharks): With a goal and an assist, Celebrini continues to be one of Canada’s best players. We know he’s young – you’ve heard that a lot already. But the fact that coach Jon Cooper has been willing to play him alongside Canada’s top players shows you how highly they value the budding superstar.
#29 Nathan MacKinnon, RW (Colorado Avalanche): That game just looked easy for Mack. He had a goal and two assists, dominating with his quick hands, great shot and relentless work ethic. The Hart Trophy candidate took his game up another level once he joined Celebrini and McDavid on the top line – pure dominance on every level. You have to wonder if they’ll stick together.
#87 Sidney Crosby, C (Pittsburgh Penguins): McDavid might have had the bigger game, but Crosby didn’t want to be left behind. The team captain got robbed on a breakaway goal early in the game and then nearly added two more goals in the first. Crosby finally scored in the third period, capping off an outstanding performance. He was fast, made some excellent feeds in the attacking zone and Switzerland couldn’t figure out how to slow him down.
#97 Connor McDavid, C (Edmonton Oilers): With a goal and an assist in the first period, and another assist in the third McDavid showed he meant business. His first goal – the 1-0 marker – was a long time coming, 11 years after getting selected first overall. McDavid was Canada’s best forward in Game 1, the second best in Game 2 and an early contender for the MVP award. He’s clearly playing at his best right now.
Switzerland
#90 Roman Josi, D (Nashville Predators): Josi didn’t do anything particularly special, but his overall own-zone play was solid enough to be happy with his night. He doesn’t get beaten easily often and will usually outsmart an attacker when playing at speed. Josi is willing to push guys around and skates really well, too. Overall, a solid effort.
#44 Pius Suter, C (St. Louis Blues): The goal was solid, with Suter knocking in a rebound to end Canada’s shutout bid. But he also played a strong defensive game, throwing the body around while winning puck battles. A lot of what he does is more detail-oriented and won’t show up on a scoresheet, such as simple stick lifts and chip passes out of danger. But there’s a reason why he was rarely on the ice for a dangerous scoring chance against.
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