Slovakia pulled off a stunning 4-1 upset over Finland in the opening game of men's Olympic hockey at the Milan Cortina Games. Juraj Slafkovsky, the Montreal Canadiens star who was MVP in Beijing, scored twice while Dalibor Dvorsky netted the tiebreaking goal with 13 minutes remaining to secure the victory.

Finland, considered a medal favorite with nearly their entire roster from the NHL, dominated the shot count 39-25 but couldn't solve Slovakia's goaltender Samuel Hlavaj, who made 38 saves. Slafkovsky opened the scoring just eight minutes into the game, beating Nashville Predators starter Juuse Saros with a slick move through the defense. The 2022 bronze medalists got goals from seven NHL players compared to Finland's single non-NHL roster member.

Finland's Eeli Tolvanen scored their only goal, and Adam Ruzicka added an empty-netter for Slovakia. The loss puts pressure on Finland heading into their Friday matchup against archrival Sweden, where Vancouver's Kevin Lankinen may replace Saros in net. Slovakia's surprising start sets up an intriguing tournament after looking overmatched on paper.