Going into the opening game of the 2026 Olympics between Finland and Slovakia, it appeared to be a mismatch on paper. Finland entered the game with all of the players on their roster playing for an NHL team except for one, while Slovakia entered with just seven NHL players.
You would think that over time, the NHL talent was going to be a difference-maker when the dust settled at the end of 60 minutes. Guess again.
Slovakia pulled off a stunning upset to begin the games, using two goals from Montreal Canadiens star Juraj Slafkovský to pull off a stunning 4-1 upset on the strength of three third-period goals that broke a 1-1 tie. However, a goal in the first period set the tone for Slafkovský and Slovakia.
Bruins defenseman makes defensive zone mistake as Slovakia stuns Finland
In the first period, Finland attempted to throw the puck around the boards in the defensive zone, but it hit a skate and came to Slafkovský. He cut toward the net, and Bruins defenseman Henri Jokiharju, for some reason, instead of playing the puck, played the forward at the side of the net, and Slafkovský had a clear shot to the net. The Canadiens forward was able to wrap a shot around Juuse Saros for the game's opening goal.
That goal gave Slovakia a ton of confidence going forward and put Finland behind the eight-ball early. Clearly, Finland was the better team, which had much more high-end talent, but that gaffe by Jokiharju in the first period was one of the bigger ones in the game. Jokiharju has not played in a game for Boston since Jan. 26 against the New York Rangers when he replaced Nikita Zadorov that night, two days after Zadorov was injured against Montreal.
Boston goalie Joonas Korpisalo was scratched by Finland for the game. This loss sets up a huge game on Friday between Finland and Sweden at 6 a.m. EST.