Milan, ITALY — Heading into the Milano Cortina Olympics 2026, we looked at the three groups, and immediately, Group B jumped out with Sweden and Finland in the same group. A matchup that often features
extracurriculars did not disappoint, and although the score shows a decisive victory, it felt much closer. Until it didn’t.
The Game
Things started a bit odd with Sweden seemingly controlling most of the play, and yet it was Finland who got on the board first. It was Nikolas Matinpalo who logged his first of the tournament from the back end, with an assist from Kakko Kaapo.
Then it was Anton Lundell who scored by batting the puck out of the air at 15:26 of the first period. The goal was reviewed for high-sticking, but it was upheld, and Finland got off to a great start on the scoreboard after suffering an opening loss to Slovakia.
Mikko Rantanen said this regarding the importance of responding to the initial defeat, “It’s really important now games are kinda criss crossing and now we have a chance to get a good six points in the group if we can play well tomorrow and beat Italy.”
The second period would finally feature a goal from the Swedish side of this game when William Nylander backhanded a beautiful saucer to Rasmus Dahlin, who was waiting with his stick held high for the one-timer. His blast was never seen by Juuse Saros, as there was a lot of traffic in front of the net. Dahlin’s goal brought things to 2-1 in favor of Finland.
What happened next likely caused this match-up to get away from Team Sweden, as Joel Armia worked hard on the penalty kill and earned himself a shorthanded look, which he capitalized on. Just when it looked like Sweden would cash in on the power play and tie this one up, Finland took the 3-1 lead.
The third period would also feature some power plays for Sweden, but Jusse Saros stood tall again and again for Finland, and Sweden couldn’t cash in on their opportunities.
Mikko Rantanen would take three consecutive big hits on one shift in the third, including a hit that perhaps invoked some embellishment. The Moose hit us with this in the postgame to diminish the “flop” dialogue:
“I don’t remember, I’m a big guy, sometimes I have bad balance and keep falling around.”
“Let’s put on bad balance, not on the diving.”
Alright, we will put it on bad balance, like Mikko Rantanen put the puck on the empty net to secure the victory for his homeland. He said the victory was vital now that Group B is getting a bit crowded:
“So now we are in a better position again… We kinda knew that, and we played like it. We played with desperation. Played like it was a game seven kinda with the intensity and how much we wanted to win.”
I asked Gabe Landeskog why things always get so feisty between these two countries, and he pointed to the geographical proximity, saying, “Obviously, there’s history there, no doubt about where neighbors are after all.” He continued on the outcome with poise in typical Gabe Landeskog fashion, saying, “For tonight, we didn’t come away with the win, and that’s that.”
By The Numbers
Mikko Rantanen logged less ice time than Kaapo Kakko in Finland’s first Olympic contest, and most pundits agreed that had to change against Sweden. Rantanen finished with 17:31 in ice time tonight.
Slovakia now sits alone at the top of Group B with 6 points and has positioned themselves nicely to make the elimination rounds.
Finland got points from 12 different players in this victory over Sweden.
Avalanche Spin
I tuned in to watch AJ, Rudo, and Bailey on DNVR’s watch-along, and I agree with something they pointed out—The Swedish power-play approach looks strikingly similar to what the Avalanche are trying to do in the NHL, and, coincidentally, the three-crowns man-advantage couldn’t cash in when it mattered most.
Even in this international tournament, the teams with the conventional approach to the power play just aren’t getting timely results. Maybe watching it without ties will open some eyes in Colorado.
Gabe Landeskog was held off the scoresheet tonight and was a -2 when things were all said and done. I don’t put much stock into plus-minus, but I also don’t like it when Avalanche players are on the ice for goals against.
Let’s see how Gabe responds in a must-win game against Slovakia on Saturday.
Joel Kiviranta didn’t even play a single shift for the second straight game. I wonder if he will finally get some Olympic action when Finland plays Italy on Saturday.
Let us know what you think in the comments!
