The lads’s hockey tournament on the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan has kicked off. Slovakia drew Finland within the opening contest, and Slovakia got here in because the underdog against the Finns. Still, they struck first in the sport, taking the 1-0 lead.
The opening goal of this edition of the Games was scored by Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkosky. Finland defenseman Mikko Lehtonen was attempting to clear the defensive zone, however the pass to Mikko Rantanen was intercepted by Slafkosky. After intercepting the puck, he moved directly towards the online and beat goaltender Juuse Saros to open the scoring 7:45 into the sport.
Here is the primary goal from #GoHabsGo Juraj Slafkovsky on the #WinterOlympics. A lovely, patient move to get Juuse Saros out of position and rating on the empty net! 🇸🇰pic.twitter.com/ya1tj4eMVa
— Jacob “Jake” Boyer (@jakeboyer_1) February 11, 2026
For a lot of players coming in from the NHL, that is their first Olympic experience, and scoring would give them their first Olympic goal. That isn’t the case for Slafkosky. The 21-year old forward played within the 2022 Olympics in Beijing for Slovakia prior to being drafted into the NHL and playing for the Canadiens. He scored seven times in those Olympics, including twice within the bronze medal game against Sweden, helping his team win the bronze with a 4-0 victory.
Slovakia doesn’t have loads of NHL experience on its roster. Beyond Slafkosky, only three other forwards come from the NHL, although captain Tomas Tatar did play within the NHL. Meanwhile, three members of the blue line come from NHL teams, while the starting goaltender, Samuel Hlavaj, is playing for the Iowa Wild within the American Hockey League.
Conversely, almost all the roster for Finland comes from the NHL. All 14 forwards, seven of the eight defensemen, and all three goaltenders come from the NHL. The lone non-NHL player is Lehtonen, who plays for the ZSC Lions within the National League out of Switzerland. He does have some NHL experience, playing 26 total games between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets in 2020-21. Lehtonen was also the player who made the passing mistake that led to Slafkosky scoring.
Slovakia and Finland are currently tied 1-1 late within the second period. The Finns would really like to finish the comeback as a tricky test against Sweden looms on Friday. Meanwhile, Slafkovsky and Slovakia face Italy on Friday.