Nylander OK to play, Gustavsson in goal for Team Sweden opener at Olympics 

MILAN -- William Nylander was in the lineup and Filip Gustavsson started in goal for Team Sweden against Team Italy in their opener of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 on Wednesday.

Nylander, a forward for the Toronto Maple Leafs, participated in the morning skate after he missed practice Tuesday.

Sweden coach Sam Hallam said after the morning skate he would need to check with its medical team regarding Nylander’s availability.

“Obviously he’s a huge part of our team,” forward Lucas Raymond said. “He’s kind of that X-factor that every team wants. Hopefully he’s feeling good and we’ll be ready to go tonight.”

As for the starting goalie, Hallam had kept his decision to himself since the Swedes arrived here Sunday.

“We announce that when we put out the roster tonight,” Hallam said after the morning skate.

The decision to go with Gustavsson was hardly a shock.

Gustavsson is 20-9-6 with a 2.64 goals-against average and .907 save percentage in 36 games (35 starts) for the Minnesota Wild this season. The 27-year-old from Skelleftea started the first two games of the 4 Nations Face-Off last season against Canada and Finland, each an overtime loss, but left after giving up two goals on four shots in the first period against Finland because of an illness.

Hallam said this morning if everything goes to plan, Gustavsson likely would start against Finland on Friday, with either Jacob Markstrom or Jesper Wallstedt, Gustavsson’s teammate on the Wild, starting against Slovakia on Saturday.

Markstrom served as the backup Wednesday.

The tournament features all 12 teams playing three preliminary games in their respective groups, then all 12 moving on to a single-elimination playoff that will conclude with the gold medal game Feb. 22.

“I mean, we have a plan,” Hallam said. “We play today and then we have a practice day tomorrow and then we play Finland, so it could be that you start tonight, you start Finland and then it’s a back-to-back, so maybe a good opportunity to change and get a second goalie in. But you have a plan.

“But something can happen in the first shift tonight that breaks the plan. Someone could wake up with a sore throat.”

Barring an unexpected circumstance with Sweden's goalies, Hallam said it’s likely only two would play in the preliminary round.

“If we can get two goalies in in the round robin, yeah,” Hallam said, “but I’m not looking to play three goalies.”