Graphic design: Todd Little
The men’s hockey tournament finally gets underway at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, Italy. Four Florida Panthers will taking part in today’s games.
Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola will be on the ice at PalaItalia Santa Giulia when Finland, which won the first gold in its history at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, opens Group B play versus Slovakia. Indications are that Lundell will be centering Luostarinen with either Kappo Kakko of the Seattle Kraken or Montreal Canadiens rookie Oliver Kapenen on the right wing. It appears that Mikkola will be paired up with Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen.
The second Group B game pits Sweden against Italy. Gustav Forsling will patrol the blue line for Tre Kronor, who should have a rather easy time against the host team, which played at the Division I-A level in 2025. The Italians did manage to qualify for the top division at the 2026 IIHF World Championship by placing second behind Great Britain.
Tomorrow will feature a much busier schedule with a total of four games taking place. Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand and Sam Reinhart will play for Canada; Matthew Tkachuk will skate for the United States; and Uvis Balinskis and Sandis Vilmanis are members of the Latavian squad.
Today’s games at the 2026 Winter Olympics (Men’s tournament)
Group B: Slovakia vs. Finland 10:40 a.m. (USA Network)
Group B: Sweden vs. Itay 3:10 p.m. (USA Network)
Tuesday’s results at the 2026 Winter Olympics (Women’s tournament)
Group A United States 5, Canada 0
Group A: Finland 3, Switzerland 1
Group B: Sweden 4, Japan 0
Group B: Germany 2, Italy 1