Olympic Winter Games Blog: Following the Preds in Milan

The quest for Gold is underway.

From Milan, Italy, the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 have officially arrived, and for the first time in 12 years, NHL players are in attendance.

That includes four members of the Nashville Predators competing in the Olympic Winter Games over the next two weeks with another representing his country off the ice.

Preds Captain Roman Josi is also captaining his native Switzerland, while forward Filip Forsberg of Sweden, plus forward Erik Haula and goaltender Juuse Saros of Finland, are making their first appearances at the Games. Predators Head Athletic Trainer Kevin Morley is also in Milan to serve as a trainer for Team USA.

Twelve teams will compete for Gold, and each country will play three preliminary games in their respective groups before all 12 then move on to a single-elimination playoff. The Bronze Medal Game is set for Feb. 21, while the Gold Medal Game comes Feb. 22 at 7 a.m. CT.

The NBC family of networks and their Peacock streaming service will carry the games, and the NHL app has each game listed under the schedule tab.

Here's how the Preds are faring:

February 20:

Saros made 36 saves - and Haula scored a shorthanded breakaway goal - but Finland ultimately fell to Canada by a 3-2 final in the Olympic Semifinal on Friday. With the loss, Finland will face Slovakia on Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. CT for the Bronze Medal. The United States defeated Slovakia on Friday and will face Canada for Gold on Sunday morning at 7 a.m. CT.

February 18:

After Josi and Switzerland took a 2-0 lead over Finland in Wednesday's Quarterfinal, Saros, Haula and the Finns came back to score three unanswered and prevail in overtime to advance to the Olympic Semifinal. Saros made 21 saves in the win. In the final contest of the day, Forsberg's Swedes fell to the United States by a 2-1 final in overtime with Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes potting the winner.

With Wednesday's results, Josi and Forsberg have seen their respective journeys in Milan come to an end. Saros, Haula and Finland remain alive, and they'll face Canada on Friday to determine who will advance to the medal games this weekend. The United States will play Slovakia.

February 17:

Josi's goal helped the Swiss to a 3-0 victory over Italy to advance to the Olympic Qualification Round. Josi will see some familiar faces on the other side of the ice on Wednesday as Switzerland faces Saros, Haula and Team Sweden at 11 a.m. CT on Peacock.

Later in the day, Forsberg tallied his first of the Olympics as Sweden scored five to beat Latvia. Forsberg and the Swedes will now face the United States on Wednesday afternoon at 2 p.m. CT on NBC. The winners of these games will advance to the Olympic Semifinals to determine who will play for medals on the weekend.

February 16:

With the Preliminary Round now complete, the Men's Olympic Qualification Round is now set. On Tuesday, Josi and the Swiss will face Italy at 5:10 a.m. CT, while Forsberg and the Swedes will take on Latvia at 2:10 p.m. CT. Saros, Haula and Finland are awaiting the winner of the Switzerland/Italy game with four more contests set for Wednesday. If Sweden defeats Latvia, they would face the United States on Wednesday afternoon.

February 15:

The final game of Group Play including a member of the Preds saw Josi record his first goal of the Olympics and add an assist as Switzerland defeated Czechia by a 4-3 final in overtime.

The United States later beat Germany by a 5-1 final to conclude the Preliminary Round.

February 14:

Valentine's Day began with Forsberg's first point of the Olympics - a beautiful assist on a goal from Elias Pettersson. Forsberg finished the day with that point and four shots on goal as Sweden topped Slovakia with a 5-3 victory.

The day continued as Haula recorded a pair of helpers - and Saros stopped all 15 shots he faced - as Finland shut out Italy by an 11-0 final.

February 13:

Three of the four Preds shared Olympic ice on Friday as Finland took down Sweden by a 4-1 final. Saros was the star for the Finns as he stopped 34 of 35 shots faced - including 16 alone in third period. Haula recorded a shorthanded assist on Finland's third goal, and Forsberg had two shots on goal for the Swedes.

February 12:

Josi was all over the ice and recorded a beautiful wraparoud assist on Switzerland's third goal en route to a 4-0 victory over France.

February 11:

Saros made 21 saves in Finland's debut, but they suffered a 4-1 defeat to Czechia in the first contest of the tournament. Forsberg's Swedes followed up with a 5-2 victory over Italy on Day One.