2026 Olympic Men’s Hockey: Top standouts from Slovakia vs. Sweden
The mission for Sweden was simple: beat Slovakia and outscore them by three goals, and they’d take over the top spot in Group B.
They’d get one of those – the 5-3 victory. But a last-minute goal from Dalibor Dvorsky meant the Slovaks would do exactly what it took to win Group B in Milano, absolutely smashing the pre-tournament predictions.
Sweden can still win the group if Finland does not beat Italy in regulation.
Both teams will get the next two days off before moving on to the playoffs early next week.
Joel Eriksson Ek got the scoring started at 7:17, only for Juraj Slafkovsky to answer back a minute later. Sweden would regain the lead midway through the second off an Adrian Kempe power-play goal, only for Martin Gernat to make it 2-2.
Slovakia started to slow down after that, and a pair of goals from Elias Pettersson made it a 4-2 game. With Sweden needing another goal, Lucas Raymond scored his first goal and third point of the game at 51:38 to make it 5-2, giving Sweden the magic number it was chasing.
Except that didn’t last. With 39 seconds left, Dalibor Dvorsky – Slovakia’s best player tonight – managed to squeak one past Jacob Markstrom to make it 5-3, and keeping the goal differential to a point where they’d win Group B, despite the loss.
Here’s a look at the top performers on Saturday afternoon in Italy:
Slovakia
#31 Samuel Hlavaj, G (Minnesota Wild): Hlavaj wasn’t as spectacular as he was against the Finns. But Slovakia’s blueline seemingly left him out to dry down the stretch and forced him to face over 50 shots. The Swedes clearly played with more pace and skill and Hlavaj kept turning away quality chances. Not-so-hot-take: Hlavaj’s two performances in this tournament have hidden some of Slovakia’s deficiencies.
#28 Martin Gernat, D: Gernat has been very productive in the KHL the past few years, and he has been great at this tournament, as well. He had two points heading into this one and had another two to continue thriving as Slovakia’s top blueliner. Even compared to some of the NHLers he’s surrounded by, Gernat has been the most noticeable through three games.
#15 Dalibor Dvorsky, C (St. Louis Blues): Slovakia ran out of steam in this one, but Dvorsky didn’t. He had six shots, and many were high-quality opportunities from the slot. None was more important than his final one, where he scored the goal that helped the Slovaks secure the top spot in Group B. He might be young at 20 years old, but it already feels like he’s a leader in this group, especially with a lack of NHL talent.
#20 Juraj Slafkovský, RW (Montreal Canadiens): Note to self: just put Slaf’s name here by default every day. He’s clearly Slovakia’s No. 1 goaltender and has continuously been the team’s most lethal scoring threat. Slafkovský now has 10 career goals in 10 games at the Olympics, helping establish himself as one of the best in recent memory. He’s so confident, and it’s clear he can lead the play when the opportunity arises.
Sweden
#3 Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D (Toronto Maple Leafs): Ekman-Larsson hasn’t played much in this tournament, and even sat the entire first game. But it felt like every time he hit the ice, he made it a mission to hit someone. The offensive defenseman was a pain in the rear end for the Slovaks whenever they crossed over the center line, and it felt like OEL was as energized as we’ve seen him at any point in 2025-26. He’s clearly motivated to prove to the coaching staff that he deserves more ice time.
#26 Rasmus Dahlin, D (Buffalo Sabres): If I were voting right now on the top defenseman award, I’d go with Dahlin. He just makes so many smart plays all game long, and assisted on the go-ahead 2-1 goal. No matter the opponent, they seem to struggle blasting past him on the rush, and he has the hockey sense and patience to make the right plays more often than not with the puck.
#14 Joel Eriksson Ek, C (Minnesota Wild): JEEK scored Sweden’s first goal of the game at 7:17 and then continued to fire shots on net the rest of the game. He has been really good around the net, creating havoc and taking space away from goaltenders. His two-way game has been solid, as well, with Eriksson Ek playing some strong defensive hockey the entire way.
#19 Adrian Kempe, LW (Los Angeles Kings): Kempe had a goal and an assist in this one as he tried to carry the Swedes in the first half. He’s great on the power play because he wastes no time getting shots off. Kempe is also strong enough to continue pushing the puck forward and into a scoring situation, even if he’s outnumbered. Kempe was just fine in the two previous games, but he was excellent today.
#23 Lucas Raymond, RW (Detroit Red Wings): With a highlight-reel goal, two assists and six shots, Raymond couldn’t get stopped today. I thought he was good against Finland, but this was the breakthrough game Swedish fans were hoping for. The Swedes continued to rely on him down the stretch in this one and he was excellent. The late penalty that cost Sweden the Group B victory will sting, though.
#40 Elias Pettersson, C (Vancouver Canucks): Pettersson has been one of Sweden’s most criticized players in Milano, and he made things interesting with a two-goal game. The Swedes were struggling to generate much of substance in the first half, but Pettersson’s shot and speed seemed to come through in this one. That had to be great for his confidence in what has been a trying season again for the Canucks forward.
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!