Canucks' Kevin Lankinen and Finland lost 4-1 to Slovakia, while Elias Pettersson and Sweden won 5-2 against Italy in their first games of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

A pivotal Group A matchup is set for Sunday night in Milan, as Czechia prepares to take on Finland in women’s ice hockey action at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

If Sweden and Finland aren't at the top of Group B at the conclusion of the preliminary round, then the Olympics will have turned upside down.

Goaltender Samuel Hlavaj played the hero for Slovakia, delivering a sensational performance that powered his team to a 4-1 win.

Lehtonen is not the only player on Team Finland with Olympic experience. Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen was playing for HIFK in Liiga, Finland's top hockey league, and Seattle Kraken forward Eeli Tolvanen with Jokerit of the Kontinental Hockey League, when they were Lehtonen's teammates at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.

Sebastian Aho called representing Finland in his Olympics debut “a dream come true” and the Carolina Hurricanes center is ready to win gold.

Juraj Slafkovsky scored twice as Slovakia stunned defending Olympic champions Finland 4-1 in the opening game of the Milano Cortina men's ice hockey tournament on Wednesday in front of a packed house at Santagiulia Arena.

Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games Men's Hockey Event The main event of the Olympic Winter Games is slotted to feature a competition among 12 participating teams in the 2026 Winter Olympics. These teams participating in the Winter Olympics shall be competing with other participants in different groups or categories.