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Team Finland made Olympic history during a dominant 11-0 win over Team Italy at Santagiulia Arena in Milan Saturday.
Finland’s 11 goals and 62 shots set Olympic records during the NHL’s player participation era of the men’s hockey tournament for goals in a single game.
Its 11-goal margin of victory is also an Olympic record.
Finland had 14 different players record a point, while four different players each scored two goals. Kaapo Kakko, Mikael Granlund, Sebastian Aho and Joel Kiviranta all found the back of the net twice during the team’s drubbing of the host country.
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Finland’s Sebastian Aho, left, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side’s first goal during a preliminary round match of men’s ice hockey against Italy at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Feb. 14, 2026. (Hassan Ammar/AP Photo)
It was the second game of a back-to-back for Finland after they beat Sweden 4-1 Friday. Goaltender Juuse Saros played both games of the back-to-back and made 15 saves in Saturday’s win.
Italy goalie Damian Clara made 34 saves in the first two periods, while Davide Fadani made 21 saves in relief of Clara in the third period.
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Italy’s goalkeeper, Damian Clara, adjusts his helmet during a preliminary round match of men’s ice hockey against Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Feb. 14, 2026. (Hassan Ammar/AP Photo)
Finland’s victory means Team Slovakia won Group B and will automatically advance to the quarterfinals. Slovakia, Finland and Sweden all had the same record, but Slovakia won the group due to its superior goal differential.
Finland, aided by its 11 goals on Saturday since goal differential is a tiebreaker, can win the one wild card and make the quarterfinals as a No. 4 seed. Where it ends up depends on Sunday’s results.
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Finland’s Sebastian Aho (20) scores his team’s first goal during a preliminary round game of men’s ice hockey against Italy at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Feb. 14, 2026. (Julien De Rosa/Pool Photo via AP)
With Finland’s historic win over Italy, it also dealt a crushing blow to Sweden. Sweden, which had already lost 5-3 to Slovakia Saturday, cannot be seeded higher than seventh after Finland’s win, which guarantees that Sweden will play in the qualification round on Tuesday.
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