Sweden and Finland is one of the best international rivalries in hockey, and their first meeting at the 2026 Winter Olympics continued that tradition. The two teams squared off in a Group B preliminary round battle, and it was the Finns who came away with an impressive victory.
Finland, the defending gold medalist at this event, played with a cohesion that befuddled the Swedish lineup. Sweden, on the other hand, looked disjointed and struggled to produce offense until a second period power play goal opened up their game.
In the end, Finland’s complete game won out. Sweden tried to storm back in the second half of the game, but a short-handed goal in the second put Finland up 3-1. From there, they never looked back, bouncing back in impressive fashion and earning a 4-1 victory over their top rivals. The win was their first of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
No Barkov? No Problem
The Finland roster entered this tournament at a disadvantage without Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov. Without Barkov, Mikael Granlund has been named the captain, but their gold medal odds took a huge blow.
Maybe it was the rivalry with Sweden, or maybe the Finns found their game. Whatever it was, this team looked drastically improved compared to their opening contest loss to Slovakia. They played with speed in all three zones and dictated the pace for a majority of the contest. It was a well-earned victory for Finland as they try to make up ground in Group B.
Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Finland forward Joel Armia (40) kneels on the ice in warm-up before the game against Team USA during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images | David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Armia’s Army
There were a few minutes when Sweden clawed back. They cut Finland’s lead in half, and the momentum appeared to shift even further when Sweden drew a penalty.
But it was Finland and Los Angeles Kings forward Joel Armia who had the last laugh. One of the top penalty killers in the NHL brought his defensive acumen to Italy, as he recorded a short-handed goal that restored Finland’s two-goal lead.
Anton Lundell’s Fantastic Save
Juuse Saros occupied the starter’s net for Finland, but forward Anton Lundell made the biggest save of the game. Even as the Florida Panthers center contributed a goal in the first period, it was the defensive play that was his biggest and best contribution during the victory.
With Sweden pressing in the final frame, they were generating shots on goal and maintaining offensive-zone possession. A point shot rifled through the pack of players and bounced off Saros, redirecting towards the goal line. Lundell lunged towards the puck at the last moment, sweeping it away from being a potential goal with just inches to spare.