Slafkovsky gave Slovakia a 1-0 lead at 7:45 of the first period, stealing an outlet pass from Finland defenseman Mikko Lehtonen in the right face-off circle before powering his way to the net and sliding a forehand shot past Saros.
Hlavaj was brilliant throughout the game. He stopped the first 22 shots he faced, including 18 in the first, until Tolvanen tied it 1-1 at 4:15 of the second period on a one-timer of Joel Armia’s feed from left circle near the far goal post. The goal came two seconds after the conclusion of a power play by Finland.
Signed as a free agent by the Minnesota Wild on April 5, 2024, Hlavaj, who plays for Iowa of the American Hockey League, has been an integral part of the Slovak national team. In Olympic qualification play, he went 3-0-0 with a 1.67 goals-against average and .929 save percentage.
Dvorsky made it 2-1 at 7:20 of the third, slamming a loose puck past Saros.
Slafkovsky scored again at 10:30 on a power play. He took a pass from Simon Nemec near the blue line, skated into the slot and ripped a shot from between the circles past Saros to make it 3-1.
Ruzicka scored an empty-net goal at 17:39 for the 4-1 final.
Finland plays fierce rival Team Sweden here Friday (6:10 a.m. ET; Peacock, USA, ICI TOU.TV, CBC Gem, TSN, RDS). Slovakia faces Team Italy at Rho Arena on Friday (6:10 a.m. ET; Peacock, ICI Télé, CBC Gem, SN).
