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Slovakia’s Samuel Hlavaj makes Olympic history in stunning upset over Finland
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- Slovakia’s Samuel Hlavaj makes Olympic history in stunning upset over Finland
Slovakia's Samuel Hlavaj makes Olympic history in stunning upset over Finland appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
It took just one game in the 2026 Winter Olympics for the men's hockey tournament to see an upset. Finland was one of the favorites in the tournament , with a roster loaded with NHL talent, led by stars such as Mikko Rantanen and Sebastian Aho . Slovakia came in as underdogs against the 2022 gold medalists, but were able to secure the 4-1 victory.
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In the process of the upset, Slovak Olympic history was secured by goaltender Samuel Hlavaj, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
"Samuel Hlavaj sets Slovak Olympic record with 38 saves in a 4-1 upset of Finland. (Previous record: Jan Laco, 37 in 2014)," wrote the hockey insider shortly after the game. "Epic performance for Hlavaj, who is 44th in save percentage and 46th in GAA during this AHL season at Iowa. Raises the bar at the right time."
Hlavaj recorded 38 saves in the upset, breaking the previous record of 37 saves by Jan Laco. He allowed just one goal, but what makes this even more impressive is his background compared to who he was facing. Hlavaj is currently playing for the Iowa Wild, the AHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild . He has played in 18 games, with a 3.33 goals-against average and a .884 save percentage. That ranks him 46th in goals-against average and 44th in save percentage in the AHL.
Meanwhile, players on Team Finland have a combined 12,536 games of NHL experience, with 2,230 goals. This includes 1,065 games played just this season and 189 goals. Still, the AHL goaltender won the day.
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The game was tight for much of the contest. Juraj Slafkovsky capitalized on an opportunity early , scoring and giving Slovakia a 1-0 lead in the first period. Eeli Tolvanen would tie the game in the second period. Dalibor Dvorsky broke the tie for Slovakia in the third, and Slafkovsky made it 3-1 with a power play goal. Adam Ruzicka sealed the game with an empty net goal as Slovakia moved to 1-0.
This game may loom large for both teams. All 12 teams in the competition move on to the playoff round. Only the three group winners and the top-placing non-group winner move on to the quarterfinal automatically. The other eight teams will play in a qualification playoff on Feb. 17, with winners moving on to face quarterfinal teams the next day.
The loss for Finland means they need to secure victories over both Sweden and Italy to win the group, plus get some help from Slovakia dropping games. Without a day of rest between the two rounds of the playoffs, teams winning their group will have a major advantage in their quests for an Olympic medal.
Hlavaj and Slovakia will look for their second win when they return to the ice against Italy on Friday. Finland will try to rebound against Sweden on the same day.
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