Let the games begin.
Starting off the men’s hockey Preliminary Round at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, four different Florida Panthers took the ice in the opening day for Group B.
Continue below to see how the games unfolded and how your Panthers performed.
SLOVAKIA 4, FINLAND 1
The world saw an upset in the opening game of the Preliminary Round between underdog Slovakia and Finland. Tied 1-1 after two periods, a three-goal period gave Slovakia the edge and three points for the regulation win. In the win, Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky scored twice and picked up an assist for Slovakia, which also received an outstanding 38-save showing from goaltender Samuel Hlavaj, a Minnesota Wild prospect.
Panthers Stats
Finland
Anton Lundell
16:21 TOI, 0G, 0A, 0P, 0+/-
Eetu Luostarinen
15:51 TOI, 0G, 0A, 0P, 0+/-
Niko Mikkola
20:24 TOI, 0G, 0A, 0P, 0+/-
SWEDEN 5, ITALY 2
The start Sweden was looking for. Taking care of business, Sweden defeated Italy 5-2, outshooting the host country 60-22. Showing up on the international stage, Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling recorded a goal and an assist in the win. Forsling also led Sweden with a +3 plus/minus rating.
Panthers Stats
Sweden
Gustav Forsling
18:53 TOI, 1G, 1A, 2P, +3
PANTHERS UP NEXT
Czechia vs. Canada, 10:40 a.m. ET (USA, CBC)
- Canada: Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart
Latvia vs. United States, 3:10 p.m. ET (USA, SN, CBC)
- USA: Matthew Tkachuk
- Latvia: Uvis Balinskis, Sandis Vilmanis
