Finland falters against Slovakia as Granlund showcases vision. Clara battles valiantly for Italy before an unfortunate injury.
The 2026 Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey tournament commenced on Wednesday with a pair of games. Two members of the Anaheim Ducks organization were in action: Finland’s Mikael Granlund and Italy’s Damian Clara.
Mikael Granlund (Finland vs Slovakia)
Finland: 1, Slovakia: 4
Of the four powerhouse hockey countries featured at last year’s 4 Nations Faceoff (Canada, United States, Sweden, Finland), Finland had the steepest uphill climb to medal contention. They entered the tournament without their star center, Sasha Barkov, and were given a tough group (Group B) for the preliminary round.
The first game of the tournament was between Finland and Slovakia. Finland entered as the heavy favorite, with a lineup consisting of all but one NHL player, while Slovakia featured roughly half an NHL lineup.
Finland controlled play early and throughout, tallying 40 shots to Slovakia’s 25. Slovakia played a compact zone defense and didn’t allow Finland to gain inside position or get too many second-chance opportunities.
Granlund, Finland’s captain, skated on a line with Dallas Stars’ impact players Mikko Rantanen and Roope Hintz. They were originally constructed during the Stars’ 2025 playoff run.
Playing on the left wing, Granlund brought his typical brand of clever breakout touches and offensive zone vision. He made clever slip passes to Hintz with speed, which led to several easy exits, and he consistently found activating defensemen from the far side of the offensive zone, displaying elite vision and execution.
He was featured on Finland’s top power play unit, on the left flank. He made proper reads off puck to find where lanes would open through seams, but ultimately, Finland couldn’t connect on high danger sequences and get more than one puck past Slovakia goaltender, Samuel Hlavaj.
Granlund finished scoreless with two shots on goal in 17:45 TOI. Finland will be back in action with their toughest game in the preliminary round on Friday when they’ll take on rival Sweden.
Damian Clara (Italy vs Sweden)
Italy: 2, Sweden: 5
The Olympics host nation, Italy, isn’t typically featured in IIHF top division tournaments, but as the hosts, they received an automatic bid. They were placed in a difficult group, having to open with a matchup against Sweden, before eventually playing Slovakia and Finland in the preliminary rounds.
Italy’s starting netminder was Ducks prospect and Brynas IF starter Damian Clara. It was predicted he’d see an onslaught of pucks heading his way in this game, and an onslaught he indeed saw.
Sweden dominated play from the opening draw, stringing together one extended offensive zone sequence after another. Italy opened the scoring early in the game, on their first shot, and kept the score relatively tight throughout the majority of the game.
Clara saved 25 of 27 shots in the first period, 15 of 16 in the second period, and all six shots he faced in the third period before he was forced from the game due to an apparent groin injury. He saved 46 of the 49 shots he faced, and Sweden continued to pepper Italy’s net with 60 total shots, a record in Olympic Games featuring NHL players.
Clara scrambled a bit in his net early in the game, mostly amid flurries around his crease, and he made some questionable decisions when attempting to play pucks. His 6-foot-6 frame allowed him to play big against posts, not give shooters an inch, eliminate the entire bottom foot of the net, and challenge out of his crease on shots from distance.
The Italian defenders did well to break up seam attempts from Sweden, but cycle play was unrelenting. Clara displayed rebound control beyond his experience, absorbing distance rush shots and deflecting cycle shots to the safety of the corners. His magnum opus save of the game was his final one, where he denied Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson on a breakaway by stretching his long legs post to post to thwart a tuck attempt.
It’s difficult to assign Clara blame for any of the goals he let in. The first two came from distance, and were goals NHL goaltenders would be expected to stop, but were east-west sequences and during extended periods of zone time. Fatigue was likely a factor. Sweden’s third goal wasn’t likely to be stopped by any goalie in the world.
Clara was the star of the first day of the men’s tournament, and monitoring of his situation will be required in the coming days to determine if he will return to action during these Olympics. Italy’s next game will be against Slovakia on Friday.