Let the game begin.
Four different Florida Panthers from the men’s hockey qualifying round for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics took to the ice on the first day of Group B.
Continue below to see how the game unfolded and how the Panthers performed.
Slovakia 4, Finland 1
In the opening match of the qualifying round, an upset occurred between the underdogs, Slovakia and Finland, and the world was in uproar. The game was tied 1-1 after the second period, but Slovakia gained the upper hand with three goals in the period and earned the three points with a regulation victory. In Slovakia’s victory, Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slavkovskiy had two goals and an assist, and goaltender Samuel Hlavai, a rising prospect from the Minnesota Wild, also had an outstanding performance with 38 saves.
panthers stats
Finland
anton randell
16:21 TOI, 0G, 0A, 0P, 0+/-
Itu Luostarinen
15:51 TOI, 0G, 0A, 0P, 0+/-
Nico Mikkola
20:24 TOI, 0G, 0A, 0P, 0+/-
Sweden 5, Italy 2
It’s the start Sweden needed. Sweden did its job, defeating Italy 5-2 and outscoring the hosts 60-22. Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling, who appeared on the international stage, had a goal and an assist in the victory. Forsling also led Sweden with a plus/minus rating of +3.
panthers stats
Sweden
Gustav Forsling
18:53 TOI, 1G, 1A, 2P, +3
Panthers next
Czech Republic vs. Canada, 10:40 a.m. ET (USA, CBC)
– Canada: Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart
Latvia vs. USA, 3:10pm ET (USA, SN, CBC)
– America: Matthew Tkachuk
– Latvia: Uvis Balinsky, Sandis Virmanis
