With only one day left in the preliminary round, the battle for seeding remains tight.
While Slovakia was able to claim the top spot in Group B despite suffering a 5-3 loss to Sweden, the entire 12-team tournament field is still jockeying for position heading into the knockout stage after another day of moving and shaking on Saturday at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
To see how the day unfolded and how your Florida Panthers performed, continue below.
Sweden 5, Slovakia 3
Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson scored a pair of goals to turn a 2-2 tie in the second period into an eventual 5-3 win for Sweden over Slovakia. Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond chipped in a goal and two assists for Sweden, which also received a 29-save performance from New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom in his first start of the tournament. A breakout star for Slovakia, Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky, the top pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, found the back of the net for the third straight game and also added an assist. Under attack all game, Minnesota Wild goaltending prospect Samuel Hlavaj did well under duress in Slovakia’s net, stopping 46 of 51 shots. Despite the win, Sweden will finish third in Group B, while Slovakia will claim the top spot.
Panthers Stats
Sweden
Gustav Forsling: 0G, 0A, 0P, 0 +/-, 1S, 20:23 TOI
Latvia 4, Germany 3
Earning their first win at the Winter Olympics since 2014, Latvia scored twice in the third period to secure a 4-3 win over Germany. Dans Locmelis, a forward prospect for the Boston Bruins, scored twice for Latvia, while Tampa Bay Lightning forward Zemgus Girgensons had two assists. Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs made 26 saves in Latvia’s net. Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl led Germany with a whopping 10 shots on goal, but couldn’t sneak anything past Silovs. Cutting Germany’s deficit to 4-3 with 2:19 left in regulation, Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle scored his third goal of the tournament.
Panthers Stats
Latvia
Uvis Balinskis: 0G, 1A, 1P, 0 +/-, 1S, 24:09 TOI
Sandis Vilmanis: 0G, 0A, 0P, 0 +/-, 2S, 18:10 TOI
Finland 11, Italy 0
Securing the second spot in Group B, fourteen players had at least one point to help Finland cruise to an 11-0 win over host Italy. After manning the crease during a 4-1 win against Sweden on Friday, Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros returned to the crease for Finland and made 15 saves. After scoring three goals in each of the first two periods, the Finns tacked on five more in the third. Since losing to Slovakia on Wednesday, Finland has outscored the opposition 15-1. Against Italy, Finland also had 12 players with multiple points, marking the most ever in a single game by a country at a Winter Olympics with NHL participation. Anaheim Ducks forward, Mikael Granlund, Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho and Dallas Stars forward Joel Kiviranta each scored twice against Italy, while six players registered multiple assists, including two each for the Panthers duo of defenseman Niko Mikkola and forward Eetu Luostarinen. Anaheim Ducks prospect Damian Clara stopped 32 of 38 shots through the first two periods for Italy, while Davide Fadani, who’s currently playing in the Swiss league, stopped 19 of 24 shots in the third.
Panthers Stats
Finland
Eetu Luostarinen: 0G, 2A, 2P, +3 +/-, 1S, 13:23 TOI
Niko Mikkola: 0G, 2A, 2P, +5 +/-, 4S, 20:36 TOI
Anton Lundell: Did not play
United States 6, Denmark 3
Exhale! After staring down a 2-1 deficit entering the third period, the United States managed to eventually pull away for a 6-3 win over Denmark. Six different players lit the lamp for the United States. Playing in between brothers Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, Buffalo Sabres forward Jack Eichel led the way up front with a goal, an assist and a team-high seven shots on goal. Looking shaky at times between the pipes, Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman surrendered three goals on 18 shots. For Denmark, Ottawa Senators goaltender Mads Sogaard stopped 32 of 37 shots before being replaced by former Montreal Canadiens draft pick Frederik Dichow, who stopped seven of eight shots. With the win, the United States now sits second in the 12-team tournament’s overall standings with six points and a +7 goal differential, trailing only Canada (6 points, +9 goal differential).
Panthers Stats
Finland
Matthew Tkachuk: 0G, 1A, 1P, +2 +/-, 2S, 16:16 TOI
Group A Standings
- Canada (2-0-0-0, 6P)
- Switzerland (1-0-0-1, 3P)
- Czechia (1-0-0-1, 3P)
- France (0-0-0-2, 0P)
Group B Standings
- Slovakia (2-0-0-1, 6P)
- Finland (2-0-0-1, 6P)
- Sweden (2-0-0-1, 6P)
- Italy (0-0-0-3, 0P)
Group C Standings
- United States (2-0-0-0, 6P)
- Germany (1-0-0-1, 3P)
- Latvia (1-0-0-1, 3P)
- Denmark (0-0-0-2, 3P)
Schedule for Sunday, Feb. 15
Switzerland vs. Czechia, 6:10 a.m. ET (Peacock, CNBC, SN)
Canada vs. France, 10:40 a.m. ET (Peacock, USA, CBC)
- Canada: Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand
Denmark vs. Latvia, 1:10 p.m. ET (Peacock, CNBC)
- Latvia: Uvis Balinskis, Sandis Vilmanis
USA vs. Germany, 3:10 p.m. ET (Peacock, USA, TSN, CBC)
- USA: Matthew Tkachuk, Bill Zito (staff), Teddy Richards (staff)
- Germany: Jamie Kompon (coach)
