Sweden opened its 2026 Winter Olympics men’s hockey campaign with a strong 5-2 win over host nation Italy, and Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling wasted no time making his presence felt on the international stage.
Forsling was a force at both ends of the ice, finishing with a goal, an assist, five shots on goal, and a team-best plus-three rating. His goal came late in the first period, breaking a 1-1 tie with a booming shot off a rolling rebound that beat Italian netminder Damian Clara. It was a momentum-shifting moment that helped Sweden settle in after a spirited push from the hosts.
Later, with Italy pressing and pulling their goalie in the final minutes, Forsling picked up the lone assist on Victor Hedman’s empty-net goal with 2:49 left in regulation. It was the dagger Sweden needed to finally put away a pesky Italian squad that refused to go quietly.
While Forsling was filling up the stat sheet for Sweden, things didn’t go quite as smoothly for his Panthers teammates skating for Finland. Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, and Niko Mikkola were all in the lineup for a Finnish squad that suffered a surprising 4-1 loss to Slovakia - a result that shakes up the early Group B standings.
Mikkola was the most active of the trio, logging 20:24 of ice time and putting two shots on goal. Lundell, centering a line that included Seattle’s Kaapo Kakko, played 16:21 and was solid in the faceoff circle, winning 11 of 18 draws.
He finished the game with an even rating. Luostarinen saw 15:51 of ice time and also ended the game even.
While Lundell and Luostarinen didn’t factor into the scoring, their line showed flashes, particularly in the opening frame, where they generated sustained pressure and looked poised to break through. But Slovakia’s defensive structure and opportunistic scoring proved too much to overcome.
Elsewhere in the Olympic tournament, several other Panthers and NHL regulars are set to hit the ice today. Matthew Tkachuk will suit up for Team USA, while Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart, and Brad Marchand will represent Canada. Latvian forwards Sandis Vilmanis and Uvis Balinskis are also in action.
Today’s Men’s Olympic Hockey Schedule (Feb. 12, 2026):
- Group A: Switzerland 4, France 0 (Final)
- Group A: Czechia vs.
Canada - 10:40 a.m. ET
- Group C: Latvia vs. United States - 3:10 p.m.
ET
- Group C: Germany vs.
Denmark - 3:10 p.m. ET
With the tournament heating up and early results already shaking expectations, all eyes will be on the ice as the world’s best continue to battle for Olympic gold.