Gudas plays well defensively as Czechia defeats France, while Granlund helps orchestrate Finland's crucial victory over rival Sweden.
The 2026 Winter Olympics roll on from Milano Cortina, Italy, and the men’s tournament is in full swing. Friday marked day three of the tournament, which has already offered several surprises and spectacles.
Only two of the five Anaheim Ducks Olympians were in action on this Friday, which saw a total of four games take place. Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas laced them up for Czechia in their battle against France, and Mikael Granlund led Finland in a matchup against rival Sweden.
Though the two goaltenders within the Ducks organization, Damian Clara for Italy and Lukas Dostal for Czechia, are on the rosters of teams who were in action on Friday, both netminders were given the day off.
Mikael Granlund (Finland vs. Sweden)
Finland: 4, Sweden: 1
Following a somewhat surprising defeat at the hands of Slovakia to open the tournament, Finland and their captain Mikael Granlund were in desperate need of a response result in their second game of the preliminary round against their arch-rival and medal-contender Sweden.
This game was expectedly chippy, and though Sweden controlled play for the majority, Finland was able to pot a couple of lucky ones, jumping out to a 2-0 lead, and they played stingy enough in their own end from there to lock this one away.
Granlund was again listed on Finland’s top line with Mikko Rantanen and Roope Hintz, and his role on that line is becoming clearer with each passing shift. He’s on a line with two of the NHL’s premier play-drivers, so his responsibilities lie in filling in their gaps, playing mistake-free, and taking on defensive responsibilities while his linemates are generating the majority of quality chances.
He doesn’t get a lot of puck touches shift-to-shift, but Granlund is able to make the necessary connecting plays that further advance play into the offensive zone and extend cycle sequences low. On the defensive side of the puck, he did well to angle on the backcheck and seal in the neutral zone, typically as the F3, and he remained above pucks on breakouts to aid his defensemen when Sweden attempted breakouts.
He was able to collect an assist on Finland’s final goal, an empty net tally, that iced the game and secured them this necessary victory. His final stat line read that he notched one assist and one shot on goal in 16:32 TOI.
Radko Gudas (Czechia vs. France)
Czechia: 6, France: 3
Just a day removed from their 5-0 defeat at the hands of mighty Canada on Thursday, Radko Gudas and Czechia were back in action on Friday to take on France in their penultimate game of the preliminary round.
France held their own for over half the game and had a 3-2 lead halfway through the second period. Though things got dicey for Czechia on the scoreboard, they controlled play from the opening puck drop, and their talent ultimately won out.
This game solidified that one of Gudas’ primary objectives in this tournament is to set a physical tone and make opponents pay for trying to carry pucks down his side of the ice or get to the front of the net. He again played on the listed second pairing alongside Michal Kempny and on the top penalty kill unit.
After a game in which his lack of mobility was noticeable against Canada, he was able to recover if his angles were slightly off in this game, as France’s team speed on the smaller surface wasn’t as daunting. Gudas embraced the more playoff-style these Olympics are presenting, and he’s finishing every hit he can, creating battles, and not missing an opportunity to make contact with opponents.
He was net-neutral offensively, but if that’s the outcome, he’s typically played a quality game. In this one, he was shooting often early, regardless of whether they were finding their way to the net or not. With more time to operate at the point, he was actively looking to shoot for teammates’ sticks and around screens.
Gudas wasn’t on the ice for a goal against at even strength; he finished scoreless and registered two shots on goal in 15:36 TOI.