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Team Finland made Olympic history during a dominant 11-0 victory over Team Italy at Milan’s Santagiulia Arena on Saturday.
Finland’s 11 goals and 62 shots set Olympic records during the era for NHL player participation in the men’s hockey tournament for goals in a single game.
His 11-goal margin of victory is also an Olympic record.
In Finland, 14 different players scored one point, while four different players scored two goals each. Kaapo Kakko, Mikael Granlund, Sebastian Aho and Joel Kiviranta scored twice during the team’s rout of the host country.
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Finland’s Sebastian Aho, left, celebrates with his teammates after scoring his team’s first goal during a men’s ice hockey preliminary round game against Italy at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Feb. 14, 2026. (Hassan Ammar/AP Photo)
It was the second game in a row for Finland after they beat Sweden 4-1 on Friday. Goalie Juuse Saros played the back-to-back games and made 15 saves in Saturday’s win.
Italian goalkeeper Damian Clara made 34 saves in the first two periods, while Davide Fadani made 21 saves in relief of Clara in the third period.
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Italian goalkeeper Damian Clara adjusts his helmet during a men’s ice hockey preliminary round game against Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 14, 2026. (Hassan Ammar/AP Photo)
Finland’s victory means that the Slovakia team won Group B and will automatically advance to the quarterfinals. Slovakia, Finland and Sweden had the same record, but Slovakia won the group due to their superior goal difference.
Finland, helped by its 11 goals on Saturday, as goal difference is a tiebreaker, can win the only wild card and reach the quarterfinals as fourth seed. Where he ends up depends on Sunday’s results.
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Finland’s Sebastian Aho (20) scores his team’s first goal during a men’s ice hockey preliminary round game against Italy at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 14, 2026. (Julien De Rosa/Pool photo via AP)
With Finland’s historic victory over Italy, it also dealt a heavy blow to Sweden. Sweden, which had already lost 5-3 to Slovakia on Saturday, cannot be seeded higher than seventh after Finland’s victory, guaranteeing that Sweden will play the qualifying round on Tuesday.
