Juraj Slafkovsky scores twice as Slovakia upsets Finland 4-1 to open the Milan Cortina Olympics

The Slovakian men’s national ice hockey team, led by Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky, secured a surprising 4-1 victory against Finland in the opening game of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on February 6, 2026. Playing at the newly inaugurated Milano Hockey Arena, the Slovakian squad delivered a statement performance to kick off the group stage, capitalizing on their young NHL talent to overcome a historically dominant Finnish side. The victory serves as a critical morale booster for Slovakia as they seek to replicate or surpass their bronze-medal success from the previous Olympic Games. Slafkovsky, who rose to international stardom during the 2022 Beijing Games, proved that his previous performance was no fluke by netting two goals during the contest. The game remained a tightly contested defensive struggle until late in the third period when fellow NHL prospect Dalibor Dvorsky broke a 1-1 deadlock. With less than 13 minutes remaining on the clock, Dvorsky found the back of the net to give Slovakia the momentum they needed to pull away from the Finns, who struggled to beat the Slovakian goaltending in the closing minutes. Finland, traditionally a powerhouse in international hockey known for their disciplined structure and strong goaltending, found themselves unable to contain the speed and physicality of the Slovakian top line. After Dvorsky's tiebreaker, Slovakia successfully weathered a Finnish offensive surge before Slafkovsky added an empty-netter to seal the result. This upset shifted the immediate outlook for Group A, placing Slovakia in a favorable position for seeding in the knockout rounds while forcing Finland to recalibrate their strategy ahead of their upcoming matchup against other powerhouse nations.