Slovakia and Finland meet in the preliminary round for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Puck drop is set for 10:40 p.m. EST at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, Italy. The game will be broadcast live on USA Network and streamed on Peacock.
Finland is favored by 2.5 on the puck line, with the over/under set at 5.5 (-102o / -118u). Finland is a -410 favorite to win outright, while Slovakia is +320 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Slovakia vs Finland predictions and Olympics picks.
Slovakia vs. Finland Odds, Pick
| Finland Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 +110 | 5.5 -102o / -118u | -410 |
| Slovakia Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -130 | 5.5 -102o / -118u | +320 |
- Slovakia vs. Finland Spread: Slovakia +2.5 (-130), Finland -2.5 (+110)
- Slovakia vs. Finland Over/Under: 5.5 (-102o / -118u)
- Slovakia vs. Finland Moneyline: Slovakia +320, Finland -410
Slovakia vs. Finland Preview
Slovakia
Slovakia’s reputation as an international powerhouse has dwindled over the past decade or two.
But we’re starting to see a resurgence from the Slovaks as of late, after winning the bronze medal in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
That was the coming out party for young forward Juraj Slafkovsky, who ultimately ended up getting picked first overall in the 2022 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. And since then, Slafkovsky has situated himself nicely in the NHL. Currently, in his third season, he’s poised to shatter his career highs in goals, assists and points.
Not only that, it was the introduction to defenseman Simon Nemec, who was the second overall pick by the New Jersey Devils.
Nemec had a rough start to his professional career, but this season, he’s already set career highs, 43 games into the season.
Overall, this is a well-rounded club, that may do a decent job sticking around the juggernauts in USA, Canada, and Sweden as there are a solid amount of NHLers like Erik Cernak, Martin Fehervary, Pavol Regenda, and former NHLer Tomas Tatar.
I’ll be curious about the goaltending though, as Samuel Hlavaj seems to be the starter. Hlavaj hasn’t seen the NHL yet, but has spent a few years in the AHL and has fared decently with a career .894 SV%.
However, he has been solid in international play, and was a cog in helping the Slovaks qualify for the Olympics in the first place, as he posted a .929 SV%.
Finland
Finland will certainly look to bounce back from getting trounced in the 4 Nations Face-Off last year, but it’ll be even more difficult without Aleksander Barkov and Patrik Laine.
Don’t get it twisted, this is a team that will compete, and will definitely win a number of games. But out of the power-four, the Finns rank last.
Having goaltender Juuse Saros will certainly help, but I wonder how he’ll fare in international play.
There’s no doubt that Saros will start, as the former Vezina finalist gives the highest upside, but last season in the 4 Nations, he was horrible, posting an .870 SV% on just under four goals allowed per game.
Beyond the goaltending, this is a team riddled with NHLers, some who are even elite. With a squad of Mikko Rantanen, Miro Heiskanen, Roope Hintz, and Sebastian Aho, it’s truly hard to envision a team better than them, but there are three.
What the Finns do have rolling for them, though, is chemistry. They have four members of the Dallas Stars in Rantanen, Hintz, Heiskanen and Esa Lindell, while the captain Mikael Granlund was on the team last season.
And what do ya know? Hintz is centering the first line that features Rantanen and Granlund to start off the Olympics.
Slovakia vs. Finland Prediction
The big key here is just how Hlavaj will fare against the Finns. We don’t really know much about him besides his AHL stats, but I’m pretty bullish on this Slovak roster.
Slafkovsky has thrived in international play, and the way he’s been doing in the NHL, I won’t be surprised if it continues on the biggest stage.
Asking for a Slovakia win, though, could be asking for a lot, especially with Hlavaj in against some of the world’s best, but I think the Slovaks can hang in there and can keep it closer than most can believe.
Why? Because I still don’t know if Saros can handle the international stage, which is why I think he’ll let in a few this morning.
Pick: Slovakia +2.5
