Italy nearly pulled off a stunning upset in its Olympic opener, rallying to a 2–2 tie early in the second period before Sweden turned on the afterburner and put them away.
MILAN — Italy nearly rewrote the script in its Olympic opener, giving Sweden all it could handle before the favorites pulled away for a 5–2 victory.
Team Italy, a heavy 5.5-goal underdog, shocked the crowd early by scoring just 4:14 into the game, then quickly leveling the score at 2–2 only 37 seconds into the second period after Sweden had appeared to seize control. Despite flashes of brilliance, the Azzurri ultimately fell short, unable to pull off what would have been one of the biggest upsets in Olympic hockey history since the United States defeated the USSR in Lake Placid.
Sweden’s Goals and Key Performances
Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog scored his first career Olympic strike to open the game for Sweden. Gustav Forsling, Mika Zibanejad, Victor Hedman, and William Nylander also tallied, with Nylander credited with the go-ahead goal. Goaltender Filip Gustavsson made 20 saves on 22 shots.
Italy saw goals from Luca Frigo and Matthew Bradley. Netminder Damian Clara made 46 saves before suffering a lower-body injury in the third period, forcing Davide Fadani into action, who allowed two late goals on 14 shots. Sweden’s 60 shots on net set an Olympic record in the NHL era.
First Period
Landeskog set the tone immediately, delivering a thunderous hit in the opening seconds. Italy’s netminder, Clara, was tested early and nearly embarrassed when he bit hard on a deke, sliding well out of position, but managed to recover and smother the puck.
Just over four minutes into the contest, Joel Eriksson Ek executed a slick toe drag that left Clara beaten, but the shot missed, giving Italy a reprieve. Moments later, following a mishandled puck by Gustafsson, Luca Frigo seized the opportunity, charging into the zone and finishing to give Italy a surprising 1–0 lead.
Sweden responded through Elias Pettersson, who was hooked by Daniel Gira while attempting a deke, but no penalty was called. Soon after, Dustin Gazley was sent to the box for slashing, giving Sweden its first power play.
Landeskog made them pay, hammering a one-timer past Clara off a crisp feed from Zibanejad to tie the game at 1–1. Nylander generated multiple dangerous looks, including a blast that rang off the post. Gustav Forsling gave Sweden the lead late in the period, scoring on a loose rebound to make it 2–1 heading into the first intermission.
Second Period
Italy drew level just 37 seconds into the second frame when Bradley hammered a one-timer off a pass from Gazley to tie it at 2–2. At that point, Italy had managed only four shots on goal, compared to Sweden’s 37.
Clara continued to shine, turning aside a barrage of Swedish chances, including a brilliant attempt from Nylander. Sweden dominated possession, but many perimeter shots failed to break through the Italian goaltender’s resilient play.
The breakthrough came at 16:46 when Nylander restored Sweden’s lead at 3–2. Adrian Kempe drew a defender out of position, slipped the puck to Rasmus Dahlin, whose low shot was initially stopped, but Nylander pounced on the rebound to sweep it home.
Third Period
Clara made 46 saves before suffering a right-leg tweak while stopping a breakaway attempt by Pettersson. Fadani replaced him in net but could not prevent late goals from Zibanejad and Hedman, sealing a 5–2 victory for Sweden.
Italy kept the game competitive for stretches, but Sweden ultimately emerged unscathed, claiming a hard-fought win to kick off its Olympic campaign.
