Slovakia upset defending Olympic champions Finland 4-1 in their Group B opener at the Winter Olympics in Milan on February 11, 2026. The stunning victory came against a Finnish team that secured gold at the 2022 Beijing Games, where Slovakia took home the bronze medal after a 4-0 win over Sweden.
Juraj Slafkovský of the Montreal Canadiens led the Slovakian charge, scoring twice and adding an assist. The result marks a significant early statement for Slovakia in the tournament.
Finland outshot Slovakia 18-5 in the first period, but the Slovaks took the lead thanks to Slafkovský, who capitalized on a turnover and beat Finnish goaltender Saros with a forehand move at 7:45.
Kakko leveled the score for Finland at 9:00, but Slovakia remained resilient, successfully killing off a penalty to captain Tatar. Despite opportunities for Heiskanen, Haula, and Armia, Finland couldn’t break the deadlock before the finish of the first period.
Armia was sent to the penalty box late in the first, but Finland failed to convert on the power play. Early in the second period, Tolvanen scored for Finland, capitalizing on a backhand pass from Armia just seconds after a Slovakian power play expired.
Ristolainen nearly position Finland ahead at 28:00, hitting the post, and Slafkovský tested Saros at the other end. Hlavaj then denied Lekhonen’s attempt.
Slovakia regained control in the third period, with Gernát’s shot being blocked, but Dvorský was quick to pounce on the rebound and extend Slovakia’s lead. Slafkovský then added his second goal of the game, a wrist shot on the power play, to seal the victory.
Slovakia’s goaltender, Samuel Hlavaj, was instrumental in the win with several key saves.
Slovakia’s Roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics
Goaltenders: Adam Gajan (University of Minnesota-Duluth, NCAA), Samuel Hlavaj (Iowa Wild, AHL), Stanislav Škorvánek (Hradec Králové).
Defensemen: Patrik Koch, Martin Marinčin (both Třinec), Peter Čerešňák (Pardubice), Erik Černák (Tampa Bay, NHL), Martin Fehérváry (Washington, NHL), Martin Gernát (Jaroslavl, KHL), Michal Ivan (Liberec), Šimon Nemec (New Jersey).
Forwards: Peter Cehlárik (Leksand, Sweden), Dalibor Dvorský (St. Louis, NHL), Marek Hrivík (Vítkovice), Libor Hudáček (Třinec), Miloš Kelemen (Pardubice), Adam Liška (Čerepovec, KHL), Oliver Okuliar (Skelleftea, Sweden), Martin Pospíšil (Calgary, NHL), Pavol Regenda (San Jose, NHL), Adam Ružička (Spartak Moskva, KHL), Juraj Slafkovský (Montreal, NHL), Matúš Sukeľ (Litvínov), Samuel Takáč (Slovan Bratislava), Tomáš Tatar (Zug, Switzerland).
