Hlavaj's Heroics Lead Slovakia Past Finland, Sweden Surges Past Italy

After a 12-year wait, NHL players returned to the Olympic Games, and day one did not disappoint. Slovakia wasted no time setting the tone as goaltender Samuel Hlavaj's Slovak record-breaking performance and Juraj Slafkovský's three-point game guided the team to an upset against Finland. Slovakia was not the only team to benefit from great goaltending, as Damian Clara kept Italy in the game with 46 saves before leaving with a groin injury. From there, Sweden took control and dictated play, coming away with a 5-2 victory.

Slovakia vs. Finland

Slovakia and Finland kicked off the games with Finland having entered the day as the heavy favorite. Finland dressed 24 active NHL players, while Slovakia only had the manpower to dress seven. Slovakia's lines for the game looked like this:

On the other side, Finland's lineup looked like:

First Period

• From the start, Finland dominated puck possession and multiple times established good shifts in the offensive zone, but Slovakian goaltender Samuel Hlavaj held strong. Hlavaj currently plays for the Minnesota Wild's AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild.
• Despite the strong start from Finland, Juraj Slafkovský found the first goal of the 2026 Milan Olympics, giving Slovakia a 1-0 lead. A defensive breakdown by Finland allowed Slafkovský to drive to the net, where he made a nice move to put it behind Jusse Saros.

• Following the Slovakia goal, Finland held the puck in the offensive zone but every now and again gave up a high-danger chance. Nikola Mikkola drew the first penalty of the game, which sent Finland to the power play as they searched for the game-tying goal. Slovakia held strong on the penalty kill as they kept their lead intact.
• The biggest surprise of this period was how well Slovakian goaltender Hlavaj held up between the pipes. Finland consistently sent shots, having registered 18 shots on goal in the first period (I know it feels like watching a Ranger game), but they went into the first period intermission scoreless.
• Former Ranger and current Seattle Kraken forward Kaapo Kakko shined in the first period for Team Finland. The former second overall pick had multiple shots on goal and was a bright spot playing next to Eetu Luostarinen and Anton Lundell.

Second Period

• A scuffle at the end of the first period gave Slovakia a power play to start the second period. Even though Finland had some defensive mistakes at even strength, their penalty killers made strong plays to keep it a one-goal game. Not long after, Finland drew a penalty of their own and went to the power play for the second time in the game but was unable to convert.
• While the power play came up empty-handed, Finland found their first goal shortly after. Artturi Lehkonen had the puck in the corner of the boards and was able to find Joel Armia, open in the slot. Armia then made a beautiful pass to Eeli Tolvanen to tie the game at 1-1. Tolvanen took advantage of great passing from his teammates and scored on their 23rd shot of the game.

• After Tolvanen's tying goal, it seemed both teams settled into the game, trading chances, but it would be some time before either team found the back of the net again. While the first period was lopsided, with Finland having greatly outshot Slovakia, the second was much more balanced, which paved the way for an exciting third period.

Third Period

• The third period got off to a very similar start to the second. Finland and Slovakia looked very evenly matched as players from both sides fought to get the go-ahead goal for their country. However, both teams' blue liners and goaltenders made plays that kept the game tied.
• About seven minutes into the third, the deadlock was broken by Dalibor Dvorsky as he gave Slovakia a 2-1 lead. A shot by Martin Gernat ended up being blocked by Sebastian Aho, but Dvorsky was able to follow the puck and put it past Saros to give the underdogs a 2-1 lead.

• Following the goal, Slovakia went to the power play following a delay of game penalty by Miro Heiskanen. Slovakia capitalized on the man advantage, as Slafkovsk's shot soared past Saros for his second goal of the day. Slafkovský's goal gave Slovakia a 3-1 lead with just under nine minutes to play.

• Finland pulled Saros two goals with about 4:30 left to play in the game. Multiple times, he returned to the net due to stops in the game. With the empty net, Finland kept driving the puck towards the net but Hlavaj was as good as he's been all day keeping the back of the net clean.
• With 2:21 to play, a wild sequence of events led to Slovakia scoring the empty netter, which gave them a 4-1 lead. Slafkovský, who was looking to get a hat trick, had lost his stick with a clear path to the net. After the puck bounced around for a bit, Adam Ruzicka scored the empty netter.

The 2026 Milan Olympics could not have gotten off to a more exciting start. Without Samuel Hlavaj, Slovakia never would have been able to pull off this upset. For a player who has yet to make his NHL debut, Hlavaj rose to the occasion, recording a .975 save percentage and only allowing one goal. Hlavaj's performance set a Slovac Olympic record for most saves in a single game with 38.

Juraj Slafkovský added to his history of strong Olympic performances, now having nine goals in eight games. Due to the lack of NHL talent, Slovakia was going to need to lean on Slafkovský, and he did not fold under pressure. As exciting as Slovakia's 4-1 upset over Finland was, the show went on as Sweden and Italy faced off a few hours later.

Sweden vs. Italy

Going into the game, Sweden entered as heavy favorites going up against Team Italy, which has zero NHL players on the roster. Entering the game, here is what Team Sweden's lines looked like:

First Period

• About four minutes into the game, Team Italy kept up the underdog theme, scoring first. Team Sweden goaltender Filip Gustavsson went to play the puck in front of the net but then dropped his stick, which put him in a poor position. Luca Frigo was able to make the most of Gustavsson's mistake and gave Team Italy a 1-0 lead.

• Sweden started the game slow, as they had multiple chances to score on an open net but failed to capitalize. On the other hand, Italy came ready to play and looked for any opportunity to deliver a hit.
• Luckily for Team Sweden, they were able to draw a slash, which swung momentum in their favor. Sweden started to show some life on the power play but did not find the back of the net until the final second of the power play. Captain Gabriel Landeskog tied the game with a shot off a pass from Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad. Sweden had tied the game at 1-1 with plenty of time left in the first.

• The slow play was short-lived for Sweden, who registered 27 shots on goal in the first period. The Italians were also unable to maintain the physical play they started the game with, which allowed Sweden to pull away. As the period progressed, Sweden relentlessly bombarded the Italians with shots and never let up. Their persistence paid off as Gustav Forsling scored, which gave Sweden a 2-1 lead that they took into the first intermission.

Second Period

• 37 seconds into the second, Team Italy forward Matthew Bradley tied the game at 2-2 on only their fourth shot on goal. Bradley received a lovely pass from Dustin Gazley, who dished it from behind the net. Gustavsson got a piece of the puck, but it was not enough to keep it out.
• Italy's defense had taken massive strides from the first to the second and did a much better job of keeping pucks away from goaltender Damian Clara who through 30 minutes of play, had already made 31 saves and showed no signs of slowing down.
• Despite not scoring through about 17 minutes the second, Sweden constantly controlled the puck in the offensive zone and has held Italy to very limited opportunities on the other side. While it was clear they were the more talented team, scoring was starting to become an issue for Sweden.
• Finally, William Nylander, whose status was in question ahead of the game due to a groin injury, gave Sweden the go-ahead goal. After being shut out for nearly the entire period, Nylander was able to clean up the rebound from Rasmus Dahlin to give Sweden a 3-2 lead.

Third Period

• Right at the start of the third, Sweden kept testing Clara, but he remained strong. A couple minutes in, Pontus Holmberg was sent to the box, and Team Italy went to the power play. While on the man advantage, the Italians couldn't get anything going and remained down by one.
• As time wound down on the power play, Elias Pettersson had a shorthanded chance, but Clara came away with a massive save. After the play, Clara got up very slowly but momentarily remained in the net. However, he did not finish the game due to a groin injury. Clara, who finished the day with 46 saves, was replaced by Davide Fadani.
• Italy, without Clara, battled throughout the remainder of the third period in an attempt to tie the game, but their effort was not enough. With 4:18 left in the third, Sweden got the better of Fadani and put one past him to make it 4-2. Zibanejad paired a nice wrister with a great screen from Pettersson, which diminished the chance of an Italian victory.
• The nail in the coffin came at 2:49 from Victor Hedman, who shot the puck across the ice and scored the empty netter, giving Sweden a 5-2 lead. Zibanejad assisted on the play, which gave him three points on the night.

Day one of the 2026 Milan Olympics was packed full of great stories, upsets, and plenty of action. Slovakia and goaltender Samuel Hlavaj rose to the occasion, upsetting Finland in the very first game of the Olympics. While Italy and Clara fought to write a similar story, Sweden ultimately rallied and took the game in the third period.

Tomorrow features four games, including Team Czechia and Team Canada earlier in the day, with Team Latvia and Team USA playing in the late afternoon.