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Juraj Slafkovsky scores filthy goal to kick off men’s Olympic hockey tournament
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- Juraj Slafkovsky scores filthy goal to kick off men’s Olympic hockey tournament
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The men's hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan has kicked off. Slovakia drew Finland in the opening contest, and Slovakia came in as the underdog against the Finns. Still, they struck first in the game, taking the 1-0 lead.
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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, but the pass to Mikko Rantanen was intercepted by Slafkosky. After intercepting the puck, he moved directly towards the net and beat goaltender Juuse Saros to open the scoring 7:45 into the game.
For many players coming in from the NHL, this is their first Olympic experience, and scoring would give them their first Olympic goal. That is not the case for Slafkosky. The 21-year old forward played in 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 in the bronze medal game against Sweden, helping his team win the bronze with a 4-0 victory.
Slovakia does not have a lot of NHL experience on its roster. Beyond Slafkosky, only three other forwards come from the NHL, although captain Tomas Tatar did play in 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 in the American Hockey League.
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Conversely, almost the entire 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 in 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 in the second period. The Finns would like to complete the comeback as a tough test against Sweden looms on Friday. Meanwhile, Slafkovsky and Slovakia face Italy on Friday.
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