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Hockey Daily Reaction Show: Milan-Cortina Presented By Fortune Tires

Finland Secures Olympic Bronze In 6-1 Victory Over Slovakia

Finland Secures Olympic Bronze In 6-1 Victory Over Slovakia

Read the game recap on FloHockey for the Winter Olympics bronze medal game between Finland and Slovakia on Saturday, Feb. 21.

Feb 21, 2026 by Andy Schamma
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The battle for a medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in men's ice hockey ended for two teams on Saturday, Feb. 21. 

Team Finland and Team Slovakia met at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena for one last bout for the record books.

Finland entered the game off the back of a devastatingly close loss to Canada on Friday in Milan.

With just 36 seconds remaining, Nathan MacKinnon launched the game-winning goal after a late high-stick call brought out their power play unit and they finally overtook the defending gold medalists.

Bronze was a minimum expectation for the NHL-packed roster of Leijonat—and they earned it with a 6-1 victory over Slovakia.

Read the game recap as it happened for Slovakia vs Finland below from Saturday, Feb. 21.

Finland Secures Bronze After 6-1 Victory Over Slovakia

Slovakia 1, Finland 6

After another three minutes of empty net onslaught by Slovakia, Finland had finally put an end to their desperate attempt to score and secured the 2026 Winter Olympics bronze medal.

Slovakia will take 4th, disappointed but plenty to be proud of considering the difference in current NHL players. There is no doubt that they can continue to compete against the best teams in the world.

For Finland, top scorers:

  • Armia 1g, 2a
  • Haula 2g
  • Tolvanen 2a
  • Hintz 1g, 1a
  • Heiskanen 2a

Erik Haula Scores 6th Goal For Finland - 1:18 3rd

Slovakia 1, Finland 6

Slovakia tried their best to score in their dying breaths, but Haula netted another empty net goal to send Finland up 6-1 in the waning minutes.

Slovakia Pulls Hlavaj, Finland Scores Seconds Later - 4:30 3rd

Slovakia 1, Finland 5

Slovakia pulled Hlavaj out of the crease after they had managed a few minutes of puck possession.

Unfortunately, a turnover in the neutral zone by Okuliar gave the puck to Hintz who got it to Armia for Finland's fifth goal.

Kakko Scores, Finland Pours It On - 10:51 3rd

Slovakia 1, Finland 4

It was all Kakko who was alone in Slovakia's end to sling a nice wristshot to the far side of the net and beat Hlavaj for the three goal lead.

He broke out after a dump by Anton Lundell sent the puck through the neutral zone.

When it rains, it pours.

Shots on goal:

  • SVK: 27
  • FIN: 31

Hintz Scores Huge Power Play Goal - 11:33 3rd

Slovakia 1, Finland 3

Heiskanen continued his incredible contributions today for Finland and launched a puck in towards Hintz who was ready for the deflection past Hlavaj.

The Slovak goaltender thought it could've been a high stick but nothing came of it.

Aho Tripped Up On Breakout - 12:13 3rd

Slovakia 1, Finland 2

Rudicka went to the penalty box after tripping Sebastian Aho on the breakaway thanks to a nice transition by Finland.

Slovakia Turns Up Pressure - 12:47 3rd

Slovakia 1, Finland 2

Slovakia finally found their stride, piecing together a few shifts in a row to put Finland on their heels a bit.

Shots came from Kelemen, Nemec, Liska, and Fehervary. Saros made saves on all four.

Shots on goal:

  • SVK: 25
  • FIN: 27

Slovakia Kills It Off With Help From Crossbar - 16:49 3rd

Slovakia 1, Finland 2

Finland wins the opening face off and we're off to the final period of regulation play for the bronze medal.

Mikkola was slashed by Regenda, sending him to the penalty box.

Hlavaj starts the kill with a fantastic save on the swarming top power play unit of Finland.

Kapanen almost had the two-goal lead but he hit the corner where the crossbar and post meet, bailing out Slovakia and leading to the power play clock's expiration.

Shots on goal:

  • SVK: 22
  • FIN: 27

Tatar Scores After Saros Leaves Net - End of 2nd

Slovakia 1, Finland 2

Just moments before the end of the second period, Slovakia sent the puck around the glass deep which Saros came out of his crease to slow down.

A lucky bounce off the stanchion sent the puck to Tatar's tape in the right circle which he was able to lift past Saros with a backhand as he returned to his net.

Hintz Takes Hard Hit From Cernak - 3:00 2nd

Slovakia 0, Finland 2

Hintz hit the ice and boards hard after a hit by Cernak. The Finnish bench was up in arms after the refs made no call. Aho skated over to the officials to figure out what was going on.

Cernak made no effort to play the puck but Hintz was as he got knocked into the boards.

Shots on goal:

  • SVK: 18
  • FIN: 22

Finland Kills Off Lehkonen Penalty - 7:05 2nd

Slovakia 0, Finland 2

Lehkonen skated towards Hlavaj with speed but tried to pull up at the crease. He fell on top of Hlavaj which drew the referee's arm up and Slovakia gets a chance back on the power play.

Finland had just about as much possession of the puck as Slovakia did, until the waning moments.

With just 15 seconds left, Gernat had an open chance under the dot for a one-timer but Saros sped over to make the save.

Shots on goal:

  • SVK: 15
  • FIN: 19

Haula Scores For Finland, Beats Hlavaj Clean - 12:05 2nd

Slovakia 0, Finland 2

Although the first half of the period was slightly tilted in Slovakia's favor with the help of the power play, it was Erik Haula who shut things down. 

He beat Hlavaj clean after what has been a slow period for the netminder.

Shots on goal:

  • SVK: 13
  • FIN: 15

Haula Sends Puck Out, Finland Kills PP - 14:05 2nd

Slovakia 0, Finland 1

Haula cleared the puck from behind his net, accidentally sending it up above the glass and out of play for Slovakia's first power play of the game.

Dvorsky threw an attempt towards the net, but Saros was able to make the stop. The rebound went flying towards Slafkovsky who had a wide open net but slung the puck wide. It appeared his hands may have slipped off of his stick.

Slovakia Kills Off Power Play - 17:55 2nd

Slovakia 0, Finland 1

Finland takes over on the power play as the teams return to the ice.

Their best chance came from Tolvanen, whose shot went high and caught Hlavaj in the mask.

He had to fix his mask, drawing a whistle on the following play.

Finland Leads Slovakia After One - End of 1st

Slovakia 0, Finland 1

First power play of the game goes to Finland as Okuliar was sent to the penalty box for holding on Heiskanen with 35 seconds remaining. They'll return with a minute and a half of the man-advantage.

Sebastian Aho opens the scoring in this bronze medal match. Finland is looking a lot more comfortable out there with the one goal lead.

Plenty of support when pucks are going towards Slovakia's net.

Miro Heiskanen has been outstanding today.

Chaos At Hlavaj's Net - 4:38 1st

Slovakia 0, Finland 1

There was a beeshive of both teams flailing at the puck near Hlavaj's crease as the referees waited to blow the whistle. 

The puck was evidently not covered and surely enough, after about 15 seconds of a "Rat King" type situation, the puck popped out.

Shots on goal:

  • SVK: 6
  • FIN: 10

Slovakia Almost Delivers, Shoots Wide - 6:00 1st

Slovakia 0, Finland 1

Liska had a great touch on the puck through the neutral zone. After turning on the jets, he was able to create an opportunity for the Slovaks, but they swung wide of the net before the puck was cleared.

Aho Scores! Finland Up One - 12:33 1st

Slovakia 0, Finland 1

Lehkonen threw the puck in towards Hlavaj with three of his teammates skating towards the crease. After it hit the ice, it was Sebastian Aho who found it first behind the goaltender's legs to sweep the puck into the back of the net.

Heiskanen with an assist as well.

Finland takes the lead.

Shots on goal:

  • SVK: 3
  • FIN: 7

Action Picking Up - 13:23 1st

Slovakia 0, Finland 0

After a few minutes of getting comfortable, both teams are starting to throw shots at the net. Slovakia's first came from Juraj Slafkovksy, looking for his 5th goal and 9th point of the tournament.

Hlavaj had to make a sprawling stop on Heiskanen as the Finnish offense gets moving.

Three Minutes Before First Shot On Goal - 16:46 1st

Slovakia 0, Finland 0

After a few minutes of chasing the puck around, it was Rasmus Ristolainen who entered the zone to give Finland time to setup.

Mikkola delivered a shot that went wide of Hlavaj's territory.

After some circling, Heiskanen ended up with the puck at the top of the circle with traffic. He delayed and shot low, looking for an early five hole score but Hlavaj made the stop and covered it up.

Puck Drop Is Next: Bronze Medal Battle Is Here

Lundell wins the opening face off against Ruzicka for Finland's first o-zone chance of the game.

And we're off!

After The Game: Instant Reactions On FloHockey

Tune in after the game to watch Chris Peters and Robert Babiak's takes on today's game FloHockey.

We're going to be talking a ton of USA and Canada and USA-Canada and more hockey. Come check out the Hockey Daily Reaction Show: Milan-Cortina presented by @FortuneTiresUSA at 6:30 ET! https://t.co/A29PMpLczF

— Chris Peters (@chrismpeters) February 20, 2026

Mikko Rantanen Out vs. Slovakia

Finland's star forward Mikko Rantanen will have to support his team off the ice as they battle for a Bronze medal today against Slovakia.

He reportedly suffered a lower body injury during the third period against Canada according to Finnish reporting.

Oliver Kapanen will take his spot in the starting lineup.

Tolvanen comes in for his first start of the Olympic games.

Team Finland Projected Lines For Bronze Medal Game

Forwards

  • Lehkonen - Aho - Kapanen
  • Granlund - Hintz - Teravainen
  • Luostarinen - Lundell - Kakko
  • Tolvanen - Haula - Armia
  • Kiviranta

Defense

  • Heiskanen - Lindell
  • Mikkola - Ristolainen
  • Maatta - Jokiharju
  • Matinpalo

Goalies

  • Juuse Saros
  • Kevin Lankinen

Team Slovakia Projected Lines For Bronze Medal Game

Forwards

  • Slafkovsky - Ruzicka - Tatar
  • Kelemen - Cingel -  - Regenda
  • Okuliar - Dvorsky - Hudacek
  • Liska - Sukel - Cehlarik
  • Takac

Defense

  • Fehervary - Nemec
  • Gernat - Cernak
  • Marincin - Ceresnak
  • Koch

Goalies

  • Samuel Hlavaj
  • Stanislav Skorvanek

When Is The Slovakia vs Finland Winter Olympics Hockey Bronze Medal Game?

Puck drop for Slovakia vs Finland Winter Olympics hockey bronze medal game is scheduled for 2:40 p.m. ET.

What To Know About Slovakia vs Finland In The Bronze Medal Game

Slovakia and Finland played in their opening preliminary round game of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Slovakia defeat Finland 4-1, a great showing for their roster of just seven NHL players. Across the ice, all of Finland's roster currently or has played in the National.

Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky leads scoring for Slovakia as the 4th overall in Milan.

Mikko Rantanen's 2 goals and 4 assists lead the way for Finland.

With Juuse Saros (.933 SV%) and Samuel Hlavaj (.914 SV%) likely to start in the net, fans can expect a show of the most elite goaltender skill in the world.

They were both in the top five between the pipes in SV% in Milan with well over a hundred stops each.

Here's how the special teams measure up in the 2026 Winter Olympics:

Power Play:

  • SVK: 17%
  • FIN: 25%

Penalty Killing:

  • SVK: 82%
  • FIN: 71%

# of Penalties (PIM):

  • SVK: 25 (58)
  • FIN: 17 (34)

Follow Top NHL Draft Prospects On FloHockey After The Olympics

The best, and most complete, coverage of the NHL minor league hockey and NHL Draft is found on FloHockey. Don't miss the latest new prospect guides, rankings and more from Chris Peters and the FloHockey staff.

Finland Olympic Hockey Team NHL Players

  • 20 – Sebastian Aho – Forward (Carolina Hurricanes)
  • 96 – Mikko Rantanen – Forward (Dallas Stars)
  • 24 – Roope Hintz – Forward (Dallas Stars)
  • 64 – Mikael Granlund – Forward (Anaheim Ducks)
  • 40 – Joel Armia – Forward (Los Angeles Kings)
  • 86 – Teuvo Teravainen – Forward (Chicago Blackhawks)
  • 84 – Kaapo Kakko – Forward (Seattle Kraken)
  • 62 – Artturi Lehkonen – Forward (Colorado Avalanche)
  • 15 – Anton Lundell – Forward (Florida Panthers)
  • 27 – Eetu Luostarinen – Forward (Florida Panthers)
  • 28 – Eeli Tolvanen – Forward (Seattle Kraken)
  • 56 – Erik Haula – Forward (Nashville Predators)
  • 94 – Joel Kiviranta – Forward (Colorado Avalanche)
  • 91 – Oliver Kapanen – Forward (Montreal Canadiens)
  • 41 – Miro Heiskanen – Defenseman (Dallas Stars)
  • 23 – Esa Lindell – Defenseman (Dallas Stars)
  • 77 – Niko Mikkola – Defenseman (Florida Panthers)
  • 33 – Nikolas Matinpalo – Defenseman (Ottawa Senators)
  • 10 – Henri Jokiharju – Defenseman (Boston Bruins)
  • 3 – Olli Maatta – Defenseman (Utah Mammoth)
  • 55 – Rasmus Ristolainen – Defenseman (Philadelphia Flyers)
  • 74 – Juuse Saros – Goaltender (Nashville Predators)
  • 70 – Joonas Korpisalo – Goaltender (Boston Bruins)
  • 32 – Kevin Lankinen – Goaltender (Vancouver Canucks)

Slovakia Olympic Hockey Roster 2026

Here’s the Team Slovakia men’s ice hockey roster for the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina.

Forwards

  • 6 – Lukáš Cingeľ — Forward (HC Kometa Brno)
  • 8 – Oliver Okuliar – Forward (Skelleftea IK, Swe)
  • 11 – Milos Kelemen – Forward (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Cze)
  • 15 – Dalibor Dvorsky – Forward (St. Louis Blues, NHL)
  • 20 – Juraj Slafkovsky – Forward (Montreal Canadiens, NHL)
  • 21 – Adam Ruzicka – Forward (Spartak Moscow, KHL)
  • 23 – Adam Liska – Forward (Severstal Cherepovets, KHL)
  • 34 – Peter Cehlarik – Forward (Leksands IF, Swe)
  • 49 – Samuel Takac – Forward (HC Slovan Bratislava, Svk)
  • 76 – Martin Pospisil – Forward (Calgary Flames, NHL)
  • 79 – Libor Hudacek – Forward (HC Ocelari Trinec, Cze)
  • 84 – Pavol Regenda – Forward (San Jose Sharks, NHL)
  • 90 – Tomas Tatar – Forward (EV Zug, Sui)
  • 91 – Matus Sukel – Forward (HC Litvinov, Cze)

Defensemen

  • 14 – Peter Ceresnak – Defenseman (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Cze)
  • 17 – Simon Nemec – Defenseman (New Jersey Devils, NHL)
  • 28 – Martin Gernat – Defenseman (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, KHL)
  • 29 – Michal Ivan – Defenseman (Bili Tygri Liberec, Cze)
  • 42 – Martin Fehervary – Defenseman (Washington Capitals, NHL)
  • 52 – Martin Marincin – Defenseman (HC Ocelari Trinec, Cze)
  • 64 – Patrik Koch — Defenseman (HC Oceláři Třinec)
  • 81 – Erik Cernak – Defenseman (Tampa Bay Lightning, NHL)

Goaltenders

  • 30 – Adam Gajan – Goaltender (Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, NCAA)
  • 31 – Samuel Hlavaj – Goaltender (Iowa Wild, AHL)
  • 33 – Stanislav Skorvanek – Goaltender (Mountfield HK, Cze)

Men's Olympic Hockey Schedule 2026

Saturday, Feb. 21

  • 2:40 p.m. ET – Men’s Bronze medal game

Sunday, Feb. 22

  • 8:10 a.m. ET – Men’s Gold medal game

Can You Fight In Olympic Hockey?

No, fighting is not allowed in Men's Olympic Hockey.

  • Olympic hockey follows IIHF rules, not NHL rules. 
  • Any player who starts or participates in a fight is assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct. 
  • Officials can also issue additional discipline depending on severity.

Milan Cortina 2026 Live Coverage Coming To FloHockey

FloHockey is your source for the best coverage, live broadcasts, and all-access content below the National Hockey League—over the next few weeks that includes coverage of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Italy. 

Every day at 6:30 p.m. ET from Feb. 12-18, FloHockey analyst Chris Peters and co-host Robert Babiak will be bringing you the latest coverage, analysis, and news from Milan Cortina 2026.

Here's when to tune in on the final weekend, Feb. 19-22:

  • Thursday, Feb. 19 - 4:30 p.m. ET
  • Friday, Feb. 20 - 6:30 p.m. ET
  • Saturday, Feb. 21 - 9:05 p.m. ET
  • Sunday, Feb. 22 - 11:30 a.m. ET

Tune in LIVE on the FloHockey 24/7 FAST channel, available on Prime Video and Fubo, or watch for free on FloHockey YouTube.

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