Canucks' Kevin Lankinen and Finland lost 4-1 to Slovakia, while Elias Pettersson and Sweden won 5-2 against Italy in their first games of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Slafkovsky was a reason for the brilliance and a key cog in the ability of Slovakia (1-0-0-0) to defeat Finland for the first time in four Olympic meetin

A pivotal Group A matchup is set for Sunday night in Milan, as Czechia prepares to take on Finland in women’s ice hockey action at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Goaltender Samuel Hlavaj played the hero for Slovakia, delivering a sensational performance that powered his team to a 4-1 win.

If Sweden and Finland aren't at the top of Group B at the conclusion of the preliminary round, then the Olympics will have turned upside down.

In Olympic history, Canada has won nine gold medals in the men's hockey tournament, and they're expected to contend for it at Milan Cortina alongside the United States. The rival North American countries last met in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off final and Canada defeated the U.S. in overtime.

Lehtonen is not the only player on Team Finland with Olympic experience. Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen was playing for HIFK in Liiga, Finland's top hockey league, and Seattle Kraken forward Eeli Tolvanen with Jokerit of the Kontinental Hockey League, when they were Lehtonen's teammates at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.

Juraj Slafkovsky scored twice as Slovakia stunned defending Olympic champions Finland 4-1 in the opening game of the Milano Cortina men's ice hockey tournament on Wednesday in front of a packed house at Santagiulia Arena.