Olympic Hockey: Slovakia Stays Hot, Finland Bounces Back in Group B Showdowns
While most of North America was still shaking off the sleep or pouring that first cup of coffee, Group B action was already heating up on the Olympic ice. Slovakia continued to roll, Italy showed some fight, and Finland reignited a classic rivalry with a bounce-back performance that reminded everyone why they’re still a threat.
Slovakia Takes Control of Group B
Coming into the tournament, Slovakia wasn't exactly on everyone’s shortlist for a medal. But after two games, they’re making a strong case to be taken seriously. With a 3-2 win over Italy, Slovakia moved to 2-0-0 and now sits atop Group B with six points.
It took a while for the scoring to start, but once it did, Slovakia’s NHL talent began to shine. Libor Hudacek opened things up in the second period, and just 10 minutes later, Matus Sukel doubled the lead.
The play that set up that first goal? A beauty from Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky, who picked up his fourth point of the tournament with the primary assist.
Dalibor Dvorsky of the St. Louis Blues chipped in the secondary helper.
Italy didn’t fold. Former AHLer Matt Bradley cut the lead to 2-1 before the end of the second, but Slovakia responded in the third. Adam Ruzicka, who’s been a steady presence all tournament, notched his second goal to restore the two-goal cushion with just under eight minutes left.
Italy made one last push, pulling their goalie with five minutes to go. Dustin Gazely, a 37-year-old veteran who’s been playing in Italy since 2020, brought them within one with three minutes left. Gazely’s experience-278 AHL games and a college career at Michigan State-was on display, but it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback.
Stanislav Skorvanek stood tall in net for Slovakia, turning away 20 shots. Notably, Chicago Blackhawks goaltending prospect Adam Gajan was a healthy scratch for the second straight game. Meanwhile, Slafkovsky continues to build an early MVP case-seven shots on goal and a key assist in this one.
This marks just the second time Slovakia has opened an Olympic tournament with two straight wins. The last time?
2006, when they rattled off five in a row before falling to Czechia in the playoff round. If history’s any guide, this team may be just getting started.
Finland Rebounds with Big-Time Goaltending
After a disappointing loss to Slovakia in their opener, Finland needed a response-and they got it. Behind a stellar performance from Juuse Saros, the Finns took down archrival Sweden 4-1 despite being outshot 34-26.
Saros, who had a rough outing against Slovakia, bounced back in a big way. The Nashville Predators netminder turned aside 33 of 34 shots, standing tall during a relentless third period push from the Swedes that saw them fire 17 shots on goal. None got past him.
Finland wasted no time setting the tone. Nikolas Matinpalo, a defenseman with the Ottawa Senators, blasted a slap shot over the blocker of Minnesota Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson to open the scoring. Veteran blue-liner Olli Maatta picked up the secondary assist on the play.
Later in the first, Anton Lundell-already a key piece for the Florida Panthers-doubled the lead with a slick finish. It was a classic two-way shift from Lundell: goal at one end, defensive hustle at the other. That kind of effort is exactly what makes him so valuable at both the NHL and international level.
Sweden got one back early in the second when Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres beat Saros to cut the lead in half. But Finland didn’t blink. Joel Armia responded with a shorthanded goal that took the wind out of Sweden’s sails, and Mikko Rantanen sealed the deal with an empty-netter late in the third.
Teuvo Teravainen, another Finnish NHL regular, logged just under 14 minutes of ice time and registered one shot on goal. It wasn’t a flashy performance, but Finland didn’t need flash-they needed a win. And they got it.
This was Finland’s first Olympic victory over Sweden in a game featuring NHL players since the 1998 Playoff Round. Given the history between these two hockey powerhouses, that’s no small feat.
What’s Next in Group B
Group B wraps up its preliminary round tomorrow. Slovakia will face Sweden in a game that could decide the group’s top seed, while Finland takes on Italy. A single point against the Swedes will be enough for Slovakia to clinch a bye straight into the quarterfinals.
With two wins already in the bag and their top players clicking, Slovakia looks poised to make some serious noise. But Finland’s bounce-back win shows they’re not going quietly-and with Saros locked in, they could be just as dangerous moving forward.
Buckle up. Group B is far from settled, and the best may still be ahead.