Daniel Chavkin
On the first day of men’s ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Italy gave Sweden a scare despite Sweden’s 5-2 victory.
Team Italy, who is only one of the 12 teams in the tournament due to being the host country, got off to a hot start by scoring first on Sweden, one of the favorites to medal. Italy and Sweden were even tied halfway through the game, as Sweden couldn’t hit the back of the net.
Overall, Sweden controlled the game, producing 60 shots on goal while holding Italy to just 16 shots. However, Italian goalie Damian Clara stood tall, producing the first standout performance of the men’s ice hockey portion of the Olympics.
Clara suffered an injury late in the game, as Sweden’s constant pressure may have put Clara into too much action. While the score ended up as a three-goal Sweden win, the Swedes definitely felt as if they should’ve won by more.
Here’s a look at the box score from Sweden’s opening-day win over Italy.
MORE 2026 OLYMPICS: Live medal tracker | Viewer's guide | Day-by-day schedule
Daniel Chavkin is a Digital Content Producer for The Sporting News. A 2018 graduate from the University of Maryland, he has previously written for Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports and NFLTradeRumors.com.
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