2026 Men’s Olympic Hockey: Top standouts as Slovakia beats Germany to advance to semifinal
The first men’s Olympic hockey quarterfinal game is in the books – and it wasn’t particularly close.
Slovakia has advanced to Friday’s semifinal for the second consecutive Olympic tournament and will look to build on its bronze-medal effort in 2022 after beating Germany 6-2 on Wednesday.
The Slovaks outshot Germany 17-3 in the first period, with Pavol Regenda scoring the lone goal. The floodgates opened in the second, though, with Milos Kelemen and Oliver Okuliar scoring just over 30 seconds apart four minutes into the period to make it a 3-0 game.
Germany found itself double-shifting its NHL stars to try to make a comeback, but it didn’t work. Dalibor Dvorsky would score at 30:21 to make it 4-1, and while Lukas Reichel would finally get the Germans on the board at 34:59, Regenda’s second of the game helped Slovakia feel a sight of relief. Frederik Tiffels would bring Germany back within three in the third, but an empty-netter from Tomas Tatar ultimately ended the game in Slovakia’s favor.
Here’s a look at the top performers from the quarterfinal bout:
Germany
#30 Philipp Grubauer, G (Seattle Kraken): Grubauer hasn’t had to start consecutive nights in seven years, and maybe Slovakia knew that when they fired 17 shots his way in the first period. Grubauer did concede a goal, but it was a tipped shot he didn’t have much of a chance on. He was dialed in, giving his team some hope for later in the game. Everything fell apart in the second period but there wasn’t much he could do with his team looking dead tired from the get-go.
#29 Leon Draisaitl, C (Edmonton Oilers): It was all for naut, but Draisaitl was clearly Germany’s best forward. He made a great pass on Reichel’s 4-1 goal, then tried to do everything he could to control the game himself. Most of Germany’s NHL contingent had a quiet game but Draisaitl was trying to shoot from about anywhere to make something happen. You just have to wonder how good he could have been had the Germans not also played yesterday.
#73 Lukas Reichel, LW (Vancouver Canucks): Reichel had a goal and an assist in this one as he tried to lift the Germans back into this. It wasn’t enough but you can tell he was feeling it on his stick today. Reichel’s NHL career has been less than stellar but he always plays with quality linemates internationally and typically does a good job.
Slovakia
#31 Samuel Hlavaj, G (Minnesota Wild): Hlavaj wasn’t busy early, but he held down in the second half as the Germans started to put the pressure on. He made 25 saves total, and never seemed to falter. Hlavaj has been one of the best goaltenders in this tournament and deserves all the praise he is receiving right now as an outside candidate for the MVP title.
#28 Martin Gernat, D: The Sovaks couldn’t stop shooting in the first, and Gernat led the way with four on net. While they weren’t the most successful opportunities, three of them created rebounds that the Slovaks tried to capitalize on. He has been Slovakia’s best offensive defender throughout the tournament, which isn’t surprising given his productivity in the KHL over the past few years.
#64 Patrik Koch, D: The former Arizona Coyotes defender had a pair of assists in this one. He makes quick passes quite confidently and he loves to knock guys down whenever possible. Offense is not the name of the game here for Koch, but when he passes as well as he did today, you can’t help but be impressed. Koch was a scratch against Finland and hasn’t played more than 10 minutes in any game so far. But today, he made the time count.
#8 Oliver Okuliar, LW: What an afternoon for Okuliar. He scored the 3-0 goal that essentially put the game out of reach for the Germans and then assisted on the fourth goal a few minutes later. His energy and heads-up play allowed the Slovaks pull away. Okuliar is a grinder who doesn’t lose many battles, but he can shoot, too.
#15 Dalibor Dvorsky, C (St. Louis Blues): Dvorsky has had a tournament to remember. He hasn’t gotten the same love Juraj Slafkovsky has, but he has been nearly as important. Dvorsky has been a juggernaut around the net, and he had a goal and an assist in this one to quantify his efforts. With six points in four games, Dvorsky is doing everything possible to prove why he’s the long-term No. 1 center for Slovakia.
#11 Milos Kelemen, LW: Kelemen is one of the few middle-six Slovak forwards with NHL experience. He struggled throughout hisNHL career and usually been more of a support guy internationally. But he landed some big hits, made some great passes and finished with two points. Kelemen is strong and isn’t afraid to prove it – a few German defenders learned the hard way.
#84 Pavol Regenda, RW (San Jose Sharks): Regenda has been up and down in the NHL, but he is almost always a difference-maker internationally. The 26-year-old is a big forward who can play multiple roles. On this team, he’s a support forward who wins battles and makes life easier for his linemates. He had two goals and an assist in this one, with the winger spending every second possible in front of the net. Regenda has been good in Italy, but this was his best game, no doubt.
PRESENTED BY DAILY FACEOFF’S OLYMPIC COVERAGE
Catch Every Goal from the 2026 Milan Games! The 2026 Milan Games are almost here, and the world’s best men’s and women’s hockey players are ready to battle for gold! The Nation Network is bringing you every game, every jaw-dropping save, and all the drama with live reaction streams and full recaps. Don’t miss a moment of Olympic hockey action—men’s, women’s, and everything in between—on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel. Subscribe now and stay on top of every play!