Sweden got their men’s Olympic hockey schedule off to a winning start Wednesday afternoon with a 5-2 victory over Italy.
It was closer than the Swedes would have liked as the two teams sat even at 2-2 late into the second period, but Sweden pulled away with three consecutive goals to secure the victory and survive a scare from the hosts, who are the only team in the Olympic tournament without an NHL player.
Star forward William Nylander scored the eventual winner, backhanding home a nifty setup from Rasmus Dahlin. He finished with five shots on goal over 21 shifts in 16:27 of ice time in the victory.
Nylander’s status for the game was up in the air prior to puck drop, with Sweden head coach Sam Hallam saying earlier in the day he was not sure if Nylander would play.
🇸🇪 William Nylander on missing practice yesterday: “Just taking care of my body, making sure I’m good for the remainder of the season”
Any issues with the groin?
“No, not today”@TSN_Sports
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) February 11, 2026
The Leafs star told TSN’s Mark Masters after the game he had no issues with his groin during Wednesday’s matchup. While he did miss practice on Tuesday, he chalked that up to being cautious.
“Just taking care of my body, making sure I’m good for the remainder of the season,” Nylander told Masters.
Nylander has been dealing with a groin injury that has kept him out of 13 games in 2025-26 across two stints.
In 40 games this season for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Nylander has 18 goals and 34 assists. He is coming off of three-straight 40-plus goal seasons.
Sweden will continue their Olympic schedule on Friday against Finland.