2026 Olympic Women’s Hockey: Top standouts from Feb. 8
With just a few days left in the preliminary round of the women’s hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics, teams are both jostling for quarterfinal positioning in Group A, while teams in Group B are solidifying spots in the knockout stage.
On Sunday, there were only two games, but with things coming down to the wire, every point matters.
Take a look back at what happened on Day 4 of competition:
France 0, Sweden 4
The Swedes exploited France’s lack of talent from the get-go, outshooting Les Bleus 19-3 in the opening 20 minutes. Thea Johansson stayed hot with her fourth of the tournament, with Sara Hjalmarsson and Hanna Thuvik also finding the back of the net.
Damkronoma potted another early in the second, with Lisa Johansson scoring her fourth career goal at the Winter Olympics. That ended up being more than enough, as the Swedes put their machine on cruise control on their way to victory.
Sweden ended up outshooting France 49-14. Emma Söderberg, making her first start of the tournament, earned her first shutout in her young Olympic career and the first of her major international career. Philbert made 45 saves in the losing effort. She becomes the first goaltender in the tournament to be credited with over 100 saves.
The Swedes went 1-for-5 on the power play, while France was 0-for-3.
Sweden (3-0-0) has one more game in the preliminary round, that coming on Tuesday against Japan. If Japan (1-0-1) loses to Italy in any way on Monday, Sweden will clinch first place in the group.
With the loss, France is all but eliminated from quarterfinal contention. While it was their first appearance at the Winter Games, the country knows the level it needs to reach to be competitive when it hosts in 2030.
Sweden
Hilda Svensson, F
Whenever I get to see Hilda Svensson play on the international stage, I get very excited. Her creativity and skill put her in a different class. She showed that playmaking ability that has made her a standout at Ohio State on Sunday. The 19-year-old picked up a pair of assists, including a great setup on Thea Johansson’s goal in the early stages of the first period. She now leads the tournament with four assists so far.
Hanna Thuvik, F
I love the style of play Thuvik shows. Quick hands, not afraid to go hard to the net, with a knack for finishing. It’s something she has shown for years with Brynäs IF in the SDHL, and she showed it again against the French. A two-point performance could give the 23-year-old confidence to be a difference-maker in the knockout stage.
Lisa Johansson, F
While Thea Johansson was the star of the show in the win over Italy on Saturday, the elder Johansson stepped up on Sunday. Playing alongside veteran Hjalmarsson and the speedy Thuvik allows Johansson the chance to shine offensively. Along with scoring herself in the middle stanza, the 33-year-old assisted on Thuvik’s marker in the first. She quietly has four points through the first three games.
France
Clara Rozier, F
It wasn’t a fun afternoon for the French, as the Swedes didn’t allow a lot of possession. However, we saw some life from Rozier. The 28-year-old has spent many years playing in Auroliga, the top pro league in Finland, as well as the past two years with SC Bern Frauen in Switzerland. She has one assist so far in the tournament, and against Sweden, she posted two shots on goal in 24:16 of ice time, second on the team on Sunday.
Czechia 2, Finland 0
By Hunter Crowther
The Czechs wasted no time, with Swedish League standout Tereza Pistekova scoring less than three minutes into the game to take a 1-0 lead. Despite the Finns generating chances of their own, outshooting Czechia 11-7 in the opening frame, Natalie Mlynkova scored her second of the tournament just before the end of the opening frame to make it 2-0.
Czech goaltender Klara Peslarova stopped 25 shots to earn the shootout victory. Finnish head coach Tero Lehtera gave Anni Keisala the start in net, with Sanni Ahola not dressing after facing 49 shots against the United States on Saturday.
The Finns were shut out for the second consecutive game after dropping a 5-0 effort to the United States on Saturday. Each team had three power-play opportunities but didn’t capitalize. Finland came close to scoring late in the third after Czechia’s Andrea Trnkova took a goaltender interference penalty, but Peslarova held on to protect the lead.
Czechia (1-0-1) gets right back to it on Monday when they face Canada, while Finland (0-2-0) plays Switzerland on Monday.
Czechia
Klara Peslarova, G
There were several instances in the first period where Finland could have tied it, but Peslarova held firm, stopping all 11 shots in the opening frame and a total of 25 to earn a shutout. After playing a handful of games with the Boston Fleet last season, Peslarova has a .913 save percentage and a goals against average under two with Brynas IF in Sweden.
Natalie Mlynkova, F
Mlynkova was all over the ice, scoring the second goal of the game but generating six total shots on net in 18:35 of ice time. Now with two goals in the tournament, the Montreal Victoire forward will need to carry that momentum into Czechia’s Monday contest against Canada.
Finland
Elisa Holopainen, F
Elisa Holopainen, the SDHL’s 2024-25 MVP, gave Finland some of their best chances on Sunday, finishing with five shots in just under 18 minutes of ice time. If the Finns want to give themselves a chance for a favorable quarter-finals matchup, she’ll need to get on the scoresheet Monday against Switzerland.