Ice hockey · Global
Slafkovsky leads Slovakia past defending Olympic champions Finland
The Slovak forward scored twice in the tournament’s opening men’s game.
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Slovakia defeated defending champions Finland 4–1 in the opening game of the Olympic men’s hockey tournament. Juraj Slafkovsky scored twice and assisted once, continuing the impact he had made as the most valuable player of the previous Games in Beijing.
Samuel Hlavaj’s goalkeeping supported the win as Finland finished with a 40–25 advantage in shots. Slafkovsky supplied the opening goal and a third-period insurance goal, helping Slovakia secure its first Olympic victory over Finland in four meetings.
The Finns created chances through the opening two periods but scored only once. Both teams faced further group B matches on Friday, with Finland due to meet Sweden and Slovakia preparing for hosts Italy after converting its opening opportunity into three valuable tournament points.
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