Slafkovsky and Slovakia open tournament with upset win over Finland

MONTREAL - The wait is finally over.

After 12 years, NHL players are back at the Olympic Winter Games in Milan and Cortina, Italy. The men’s event began Wednesday at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena with a matchup between Group B’s Slovakia and Finland, the defending Olympic champion.

The Slovaks stunned the Finns with a 4-1 win. Juraj Slafkovsky led the charge by collecting three points, including two goals. He brought his tally to nine goals in eight games at the Winter Olympics and ranks third in most career Olympic goals among Slovakian men, behind Marian Hossa (14G in 19 GP) and Miroslav Satan (10G in 22 GP).

For more stats, check out the official Olympic game summary here.

Slovakia’s roster

Slafkovsky, who captured bronze with Slovakia at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, played on a line with Adam Ruzicka and former Hab and Slovak captain Tomas Tatar.

Finland’s roster

Oliver Kapanen, who is one of eight NHL rookies selected for an Olympic roster, was a healthy scratch for Finland.

Slovakia goals

P1 12:14 [1]-0 Slafkovsky (Unassisted)

P3 12:36 [2]-1 Dvorsky (Gernat)

P3 09:30 [3]-1 Slafkovsky (Nemec, Dvorsky)

P3 02:24 [4]-1 Ruzicka (Tatar, Slafkovsky) - EN

Finland goal

P2 15:45 1-[1] Tolvanen (Armia, Lehkonen)

What’s next?

Be sure to set your alarms early as Alexandre Texier and France will face Switzerland at 6:10 ET. Meanwhile, Nick Suzuki and Canada will take on Czechia at 10:40 a.m. ET. Both contests will be played at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

All games will be broadcast on CBC/CBC Gem and Radio-Canada/ICI TOU.TV, with select games available on TSN, Sportsnet, and RDS.