The NHL made its return to the Winter Olympics on Wednesday after a 12-year hiatus, and three members of the Tampa Bay Lightning took to the ice in Italy to kickstart the Milano Cortina 2026 games.
Slovakian defenseman Erik Cernak kicked off the action on Wednesday morning, helping the Slovaks to a 4-1 win over Finland in the tournament opener.
Lightning teammates Victor Hedman and Pontus Holmberg followed the effort later in the day, taking down the hosts of this year’s event in Team Italy. Hedman scored his first career Olympic goal in the process, helping Sweden win 5-2.
SLOVAKIA 4, FINLAND 1
Just as everyone said was possible, the Olympics began with an upset.
Despite being outshot 15-4 in the first period, Slovakia led 1-0.
Forward Juraj Slafkovsky scored the first goal of the tournament following a turnover by Finland on a breakout, skating to the net and outwaiting goalie Juuse Saros to finish the shot 7:45 into the game.
Finland tied the game just as a second period power play was expiring, making it 1-1 with Eeli Tolvanen’s score near the right post 4:15 into the middle frame.
Slovakia retook the lead in the third and held on for the win—it started with a goal from Dalibor Dvorsky, who collected the puck in front of the net after a point shot hit a defender in front and buried it behind Saros 7:20 into the period.
Slafkovsky’s second goal of the game then made it 3-1 only three minutes later on a shot off the post from the top of the circles during a Slovakia power play, and an empty-net goal closed the game.
Cernak played 18 minutes, 38 seconds in the win, fourth-most of any Slovakian player.
Scoring Summary
First period
SVK 1, FIN 0
7:45 Juraj Slafkovsky (1) - Unassisted
Shots on goal: FIN 18, SVK 5
Second period
SVK 1, FIN 1
4:15 Eeli Tolvanen (1) - Joel Armia, Artturi Lehkonen
Shots on goal: FIN 15, SVK 11
Third period
SVK 2, FIN 1
7:20 Dalibor Dvorsky (1) - Martin Gernat, Adam Liska
SVK 3, FIN 1
10:30 Slafkovsky (2) - Simon Nemec, Dvorsky - PP
SVK 4, FIN 1
17:39 Adam Ruzicka (1) - Tomas Tatar, Slafkovsky - EN
Total shots: FIN 40, SVK 25
TBL Player Summary
- Erik Cernak (SVK): 18:38 TOI, +1
SWEDEN 5, ITALY 2
Sweden played spoiler to the hosts of this year’s Olympic tournament on Wednesday afternoon.
Sweden overcame an early 1-0 deficit and fought off a valiant effort by Team Italy goalie Damian Clara to start their 2026 tournament with a 5-2 victory and 60 shots on goal.
Forward Luca Frigo made it 1-0 Italy just 4:14 into the game when an arena-length shot on net knocked the stick out of Sweden goalie Filip Gustavsson’s hands and left Frigo open to bury his shot at the right hashmark.
Sweden tied the game on a Gabriel Landeskog one-timer on the power play midway through the first period and then claimed its first lead with Gustav Forsling’s 2-1 goal late in the first period, but Italy found the tying goal just 37 seconds into the second period off the stick of Matthew Bradley on the team’s fourth shot of the game.
The score remained tied at 2-2 until Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander scored the game-winning goal with 3:14 remaining in the middle frame on a backhand chance near the left post. Mika Zibanejad’s shot from atop the offensive zone made it 4-2 in the closing minutes of the third period.
Tampa Bay’s captain then sealed the victory with his first career Olympic goal, scoring into the empty net from distance for a 5-2 final.
Hedman also led Sweden in time on ice on Wednesday.
Scoring Summary
First period
ITA 1, SWE 0
4:14 Luca Frigo (1) - Unassisted
ITA 1, SWE 1
9:06 Gabriel Landeskog (1) - Mika Zibanejad, Erik Karlsson - PP
SWE 2, ITA 1
17:53 Gustav Forsling (1) - Jesper Bratt, Rasmus Dahlin
Shots on goal: SWE 27, ITA 3
Second period
SWE 2, ITA 2
00:37 Matthew Bradley (1) - Dustin Gazley, Thomas Larkin
SWE 3, ITA 2
16:46 William Nylander (1) - Dahlin, Adrian Kempe
Shots on goal: SWE 16, ITA 8
Third period
SWE 4, ITA 2
15:42 Zibanejad (1) - Dahlin, Rickard Rakell
SWE 5, ITA 2
17:11 Victor Hedman (1) - Forsling - EN
Total shots: SWE 60, ITA 22
TBL Player Summary
- Victor Hedman (SWE): Goal, 21:12 TOI, 4 SOG, +1.
- Pontus Holmberg (SWE): 14:30 TOI, 2 PIM.
