Saturday marked the fourth day of men’s ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics, and with the group stage entering its decisive stretch, every shift carried heavier meaning. The tournament in Milano and Cortina continued to deliver drama as Sweden faced Slovakia, Germany battled Latvia, Finland met host nation Italy, and the United States closed the day against Denmark. Momentum, redemption, and quarterfinal positioning were all on the line. Sweden entered the day searching for a response after a rivalry loss to Finland, while Slovakia aimed to extend their perfect start to three straight wins. Germany looked for back-to-back victories, Latvia sought a bounce-back effort, Finland hoped to build on their emotional win over Sweden, and Italy desperately needed signs of life after two losses. The United States wanted to remain dominant atop Group C, and Denmark chased what would be a statement upset.
Group B action opened with Sweden sitting third at 1-1-0 (3 points), coming off that tough loss to Finland. Slovakia led the group at 2-0-0 (6 points) after defeating Italy and had a chance to tighten their grip on first place. The game started with early chaos. Just two minutes in, Sweden was called for too many players on the ice, but instead of surrendering momentum, they flipped it. While shorthanded, Sweden struck first to take a 1-0 lead. Slovakia answered shortly after their power play expired, tying the game and setting the tone for a tightly contested first period filled with penalties. Sweden killed off a late holding minor, and the teams headed into the intermission tied 1-1. The second period continued the parade to the penalty box. Sweden took a hooking call just twenty-nine seconds in. Later, Slovakia was whistled for kneeing, and Sweden capitalized on the power play to regain the lead. The physicality ramped up, sticks rode high, and chances opened up. By the time the dust settled late in the period, Sweden had built a 3-2 advantage heading into the third. In the final frame, Sweden found another gear. A goal seven minutes in extended the lead to two, and with nine minutes left, they added another. Emotions boiled over with matching roughing penalties, plus additional minors for slashing and roughing. Slovakia made a late push, scoring on a power play with under three minutes left to cut the deficit to one, but it was too little, too late. Sweden secured the 5-3 win. The victory gave Sweden the bounce-back performance they desperately needed, while Slovakia suffered their first defeat after consecutive wins. Both teams were in position to advance to the quarterfinals, but final placement depended on the Finland–Italy result later in the day.
Germany entered their Group C matchup in second place at 1-0-0 (3 points) after beating Denmark. Latvia, sitting last at 0-1-0 (0 points) coming in, needed a response after falling to the United States. Germany struck first just two minutes into the game. Latvia answered with a power-play goal after a German slashing penalty tied things at 1-1, but Germany quickly reclaimed the lead and carried a 2-1 edge into the second period. The middle frame was defined by special teams. Germany took multiple holding penalties, and Latvia eventually broke through on a 5-on-3 advantage to tie the game 2-2. Both sides had chances, but neither could find the go-ahead goal before the third. Six minutes into the final period, Latvia killed off a cross-checking penalty and then seized momentum, scoring to take their first lead of the game. With under nine minutes remaining, they extended it to a two-goal cushion. Germany pulled their goalie late and scored with the extra attacker to cut it to one, then pulled him again for another push. Latvia held firm to secure the upset win. This was a massive result for Latvia. The victory lifted them above Germany in Group C standings, moving into second place while Germany slipped to third. Latvia’s reward? A tough upcoming matchup with Denmark. Germany’s path didn’t get easier either; they would close the group stage against the United States.
Finland came in second in Group B at 1-0-0 (3 points) after defeating Sweden. Italy, the host nation, was 0-2-0 and looking to avoid a winless group stage in front of home fans. Finland wasted no time. They opened scoring six minutes in, added a power-play goal after an Italian hooking penalty, and struck again less than a minute later. By the end of the first period, Finland led 3-0. The second period turned into a rout. Finland scored twice more early, pushing the lead to 5-0. Italy took back-to-back penalties midway through the frame, and Finland continued to pour it on, adding a sixth goal before the intermission. Italy switched goaltenders for the third, but the momentum didn’t shift. Finland scored on an early power play in the third, then added another 30 seconds later. Goals kept coming, nine, ten, and finally eleven, with the last arriving under three minutes remaining. The final score: 11-0, Finland. It was total domination. Finland rolled to their second straight win and locked in a quarterfinal position. Italy finished group play 0-3-0, a disappointing showing for the host nation. The result also confirmed Slovakia as Group B winners, Sweden in third, and Finland in second place while awaiting final confirmation on advancement scenarios.
The final game of the day featured the United States leading Group C at 1-0-0 (3 points) after defeating Latvia. Denmark entered 0-1-0 following a loss to Germany and needed something special. They nearly got it. Just one minute in, Denmark shocked the Americans with the opening goal. The United States answered quickly to tie it, but Denmark struck again midway through the first to take a 2-1 lead into the intermission. In the second period, the United States found their rhythm. After Denmark took a slashing penalty, the Americans tied the game nine minutes in. Less than a minute later, they grabbed the lead. A third goal late in the period made it 4-2, though Denmark clawed one back with just three seconds left before the break, narrowing it to 4-3. Seven minutes into the third, the United States restored a two-goal advantage. After a cross-checking penalty and a Danish goaltending injury forced a netminder change, the Americans added another goal with six minutes remaining. Despite late penalties on both sides, the United States closed it out 6-3. Denmark’s fast start was one of the surprises of the tournament so far, but once the United States got rolling, they proved too deep and too relentless. The Americans improved to 2-0-0 and remained undefeated. Denmark fell to 0-2-0.
After four days of competition, Group A was led by Canada, followed by Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and France. Group B concluded with Slovakia on top, followed by Finland, Sweden, and Italy. In Group C, the United States remained first, with Latvia second, Germany third, and Denmark fourth.
The group stage was set to conclude on Sunday. Switzerland would face the Czech Republic, Canada would take on France, Denmark would meet Latvia, and the United States would battle Germany. Switzerland and the Czechs both hunted their second wins. Canada aimed to finish unbeaten. France needed a miracle. Denmark chased their first victory. Latvia sought back-to-back wins. The United States looked to continue asserting control. Germany hoped to deliver a defining upset. With quarterfinal matchups looming and seeding on the line, the intensity in Milano Cortina only continues to rise.
Zac Electrifly 
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