Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026: Group B preview

The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 begins Wednesday when the 12 nations compete in three groups.

Group A consists of Canada, Czechia, France and Switzerland. Finland, Italy, Sweden and Slovakia will play in Group B. Group C features Denmark, Germany, Latvia and the United States.

The games will be televised on NBC's family of networks in the United States and on CBC in Canada.

Each team will play the other teams in its group in round-robin play. The three teams that finish first, along with the highest-placed second-place team, advance to the quarterfinals. Each of the other eight teams will be seeded by order of finish in pool play and play each other to determine the other for quarterfinalists.

The qualification playoffs are Feb. 17, followed by the quarterfinals the next day. The semifinals are Feb. 20, and the bronze-medal game is Feb. 21. The gold-medal game is Feb. 22, the last day of Olympic competition.

Here's a look at each Group B team, in predicted order of finish:

Sweden

Coach: Sam Hallam

Most recent medal: Silver, 2014

Gold Medals: 1994, 2006

Schedule: Feb. 11, Italy (3:10 p.m. ET); Feb. 13, Finland (6:10 a.m.); Feb. 14, Slovakia (6:10 a.m.)

Outlook: Team Sweden among the favorites to win a medal here. They won silver at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, losing to Canada in the gold medal game the last time NHL players participated in the tournament. The familiarity the Swedes have with each other is often an advantage in short tournaments. "The national team, it usually comes together really quickly," forward Lucas Raymond said. "A lot of guys know each other from playing with each other, playing against each other, growing up with each other. It's quick to get up to speed." Now, Sweden comes to Italy with another strong entry full of NHL stars. Gabriel Landeskog of the Colorado Avalanche is their captain and emotional leader. William Nylander, Mika Zibanejad and Filip Forsberg are among the game-breaking forwards, but it is on defense where this team is built. Victor Hedman and Erik Karlsson are the alternate captains and among the top four on the blue line. Rasmus Dahlin and Gustav Forsling are also in this group and together they should be able to limit the damage caused by even the most talented forward lines in the tournament. It's a good thing because the Swedes are looking for a No. 1 option in goal. It's likely Filip Gustavsson's job to lose, but Jesper Wallstedt and Jacob Markstrom are possibilities as well. The key game will be against Finland, their most bitter rival. Finland defeated Sweden 4-3 in overtime of the 4 Nations Face-Off last February, the most recent time the two teams met with NHL rosters. "It's usually fun games, good games, neighboring country where there is this rivalry," Raymond said.

Finland

Coach: Antti Pennanen

Most recent medal: Gold, 2022

Gold medals: 2022

Schedule: Feb. 11, Slovakia (10:40 a.m.); Feb. 13, Sweden (6:10 a.m.), Feb. 14, Italy (10:40 a.m.)

Outlook: Team Finland prides itself on work ethic and organization and this tournament will be no different. The Finns are the defending Olympic champion, but the 2022 Beijing Games were played without NHL players. Finland finished third in 2014, and this team has legitimate game breakers in Mikko Rantanen, Roope Hintz and Sebastian Aho. There are questions on defense, in goal and leadership with the absence of traditional captain Aleksander Barkov, who is out with a knee injury and has yet to play for the Florida Panthers this season. Mikael Granlund is replacing Barkov as captain and has played very well while wearing the national team jersey at every level. The Finns are going to need top-tier goaltending, but none of their three goalies -- Juuse Saros, Kevin Lankinen and Joonas Korpisalo, a last-minute replacement for the injured Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen -- have been above average this season. Still, confidence remains in the Team Finland camp with a tough opener followed by the grudge match against rival Sweden two days later. "I feel like every team is pretty good in the tournament," defenseman Niko Mikkola said. "For sure, you look forward to Team Sweden, and they have a good team and always a little extra boost on the second game, but, yeah, we just need to get better for every game and play for the wins."

Slovakia

Coach: Vladimir Orszagh

Most recent medal: Bronze, 2022

Gold medals: None

Schedule: Feb. 11, Finland (10:40 a.m.); Feb. 13, Italy (6:10 a.m.); Feb. 14, Sweden (6:10 a.m.)

Outlook: Team Slovakia is traditionally a tough out. They won an unexpected bronze medal four years ago and have pushed many of the Olympic superpowers to the limit the past three decades. This team, coached by retired NHL forward Vladimir Orszagh, is younger and more dangerous than past editions. It is spearheaded by Juraj Slafkovsky, selected by the Montreal Canadiens with the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. It also has a foundational defenseman in Simon Nemec, the No. 2 pick by the New Jersey Devils in the 2022 draft. Nemec has help with veterans Martin Fehervary of the Washington Capitals and Erik Cernak of the Tampa Bay Lightning. "They lead by example on the ice," assistant coach Peter Fruhauf said Sunday. "They are pros despite their young age. They are playing in the best league in the world. They lead by example and that is what we expect from them. Tomas Tatar, a veteran of 16 NHL seasons, is playing for EV Zug of the National League, the highest league in Switzerland. He has 30 points (seven goals, 23 assists) in 36 games and remains a dangerous offensive weapon.

Italy

Coach: Jukka Jalonen

Most recent medal: None

Gold medals: None

Schedule: Feb. 11, Sweden (3:10 p.m.); Feb. 13, Slovakia (6:10 a.m.); Feb. 14, Finland (10:40 a.m.)

Outlook: Team Italy is playing with house money, literally. The hosts are not expected to do much as the minnow of the group, but an upset or even throwing a scare into an opponent in the preliminary round is a worthy goal. "The chance to win is zero if you don't play, and we're going to play," goalie Damian Clara said Sunday. Clara, a second-round pick (No. 60) of the Anaheim Ducks in the 2023 NHL Draft, is the only NHL prospect on the team and the first Italy-based goalie to be chosen by an NHL team. He is on loan to Brynas of Swedish Elite League. The Italian team is made up of mostly Europe-based players. Thomas Larkin is the bedrock of the defense and Giovanni Morini and Alexander Petan are the key cogs offensively. The team is coached by Jukka Jalonen, who guided Team Finland to gold in 2022. "Our goal has to be that we improve with every game," Clara said. "It's not only the Olympics. We also have tournaments afterward. It's a great opportunity to grow as a team and as a player individually."