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This morning, Juraj Slafkovsky played his first Olympic game of 2026.
On the heels of the first game of the men's tournament against Finland (but without Oliver Kapanen), the Canadiens player scored the first goal of the men's tournament.
And of course, it was clearly a star goal. Not everyone can do that.
HOCKEY H – Juraj Slafkovsky opens his account!
The young Canadiens prodigy rocks the Olympic nets to kick off the tournament. It's 1-0 for Slovakia against Finland.
#MilanoCortina2026 #rcsports #hockey #olympicgames pic.twitter.com/Qu8PNYHZMH
— Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) February 11, 2026
In 2022, Slaf put himself on the map with an excellent performance at the Olympics. Recently, in Montreal, he also took his line with Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen to the next level.
So seeing him score a goal like that doesn't surprise me.
This kind of play (against NHL players this year) can give him confidence for the coming months, which will be important for the Montreal Canadiens.
He won't be rested when he returns to America… but he could come back energized.
It's worth noting that Slaf has now scored nine goals at the Olympics, considering he added a second one later in the game. That's more than any other active NHL player, which is remarkable… even if the competition wasn't as tough in 2022.
Sidney Crosby, Erik Karlsson, and Drew Doughty each have four.
For Olympic goals scored by #NHL players, #Habs Juraj Slafkovský
is top of the list with 8.
The next players after him —Sidney Crosby,
Erik Karlsson, and
— Priyanta Emrith (@HabsInHighHeels) February 11, 2026
overtime
– There's a great atmosphere here in Italy.
Amazing atmosphere here at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena for the men's Olympic opener. It's a packed arena, Slovak fans outnumbering Suomi jerseys. Festive, lots of dancing and chanting, it's why international hockey on this side of the pond never disappoints. Love it.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) February 11, 2026
– Here's his second goal. He came close to scoring a third in his team's 4-1 win, but he still managed to rack up three points. Wow.
HOCKEY M – He's on fire!
Juraj Slafkovský scores his second goal of the game and gives Slovakia a 3-1 lead.
— Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) February 11, 2026
– I don't know about you, but hockey games in the morning, Quebec time, are better than Olympic games in the middle of the night. I like the Games in Europe.
– Slaf played shorthanded. We like that.
Slaf looking great on the penalty kill, which is no surprise to me. He is made for that role. Marty, I hope you're watching and taking notes.
— Grant McCagg (@grantmccagg) February 11, 2026
