Slovakia stuns Finland in Olympic hockey opener

Juraj Slafkovsky scores twice as Slovakia upsets medal favorite Finland 4-1

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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In a surprising result, the Slovak men's hockey team defeated Finland 4-1 in the opening game of the 2026 Winter Olympics. Juraj Slafkovsky, who plays for the Montreal Canadiens, scored two goals for Slovakia, while goaltender Samuel Hlavaj made 39 saves to stifle the heavily favored Finnish squad. Slovakia, with only seven NHL players on its roster, was not expected to challenge Finland, which has all but one player from the NHL.

Why it matters

This upset victory by Slovakia serves notice that the team should not be overlooked in the Olympic tournament, despite having fewer NHL stars than Finland. It also raises questions about Finland's ability to live up to its status as a medal favorite, especially with concerns about the performance of starting goaltender Juuse Saros.

The details

Slafkovsky opened the scoring for Slovakia less than eight minutes into the game, skating through Finland's defense and beating Saros. Dalibor Dvorsky and Slafkovsky, on the power play, added second-period goals to give Slovakia a 3-0 lead. Eeli Tolvanen scored Finland's lone goal, but Adam Ruzicka sealed the win with an empty-net tally for Slovakia. Hlavaj was outstanding in net for the underdogs, turning aside 39 of 40 shots he faced.

  • The game was played on Wednesday, the opening day of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.

The players

Juraj Slafkovsky

A forward for the Montreal Canadiens who scored two goals for Slovakia in the upset win.

Samuel Hlavaj

The goaltender for Slovakia who made 39 saves to stifle the heavily favored Finnish offense.

Juuse Saros

The starting goaltender for Finland who allowed three goals on 24 shots in the loss.

Eeli Tolvanen

The Finnish forward who scored his team's lone goal in the defeat.

Bill Guerin

The general manager of the Minnesota Wild, whose prospect Hlavaj was outstanding in net for Slovakia.

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What they’re saying

“This is way better — a way better feeling to win.”

— Juraj Slafkovsky (twincities.com)

“We are kind of that team no one's really expecting us to win much of the games. We haven't won against Finland for a long, long time. I felt like this is the day. I felt like this is the time, and we did it.”

— Martin Fehervary, Alternate captain, Slovakia (twincities.com)

“I guess the Olympics are fitting to him. He's playing well at the Olympics. I'm really happy for him. He's playing well in Montreal. Now, he brought the same play, same everything.”

— Erik Cernak, Defenseman, Slovakia (twincities.com)

“To be honest, I've never seen him play before. But he was outstanding. He kept us in it in important moments.”

— Erik Cernak, Defenseman, Slovakia (twincities.com)

“It's great that Hlavaj got off to such a strong start at the Olympics.”

— Bill Guerin, General Manager, Minnesota Wild (twincities.com)

What’s next

Finland will face archrival Sweden on Friday, and it's possible Vancouver's Kevin Lankinen could get the start in net for Finland, replacing Juuse Saros.

The takeaway

Slovakia's stunning upset of Finland in the Olympic hockey opener demonstrates that the underdogs should not be overlooked, and raises questions about Finland's ability to live up to its status as a medal favorite with concerns about its goaltending performance.