More Group B Olympics Hockey Predictions: Italy vs Slovakia
Time: 6:10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), 3:10 a.m. Pacific
How to Watch: In Canada: SN, CBC, CBC Gem, TSN
In the United States: USA Network, Peacock
Location: Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena in Rho, Lombardy, Italy
While Sweden and Finland face off in Milan, Italy and Slovakia will play their game at the same time in Rho. Viewers, you will need to pick a game to watch, or toggle between games if you so wish.
The Italian Story
The host Italians are currently ranked 18th in the IIHF’s world rankings. Their roster and projected lines can be found here.
Italy put on a valiant effort against Sweden on Wednesday, scoring first and having the game tied for half of the game. Considering that none of the players on Italy have any NHL experience, it was a much closer game than anyone could have expected. The Italian crowd was surely jubilant and jumping out of their seats, watching such a good effort.
Anaheim Ducks goalie prospect Damian Clara stopped 46 out of 49 shots he faced in an impressive performance. He certainly gained a positive reputation after that game against Sweden. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury in the third period while stretching out to stop an Elias Pettersson shot. Davide Fadani played the final 13 minutes of the game and stopped 9 out of the 10 shots he faced.
Having lost the first game, it will be an uphill climb for Italy in this group stage. However, the Italians should be playing under zero stress, having fun and enjoying the sport of hockey that they love. There should already be a lot to be proud of.
The Slovakian Story
Slovakia does manage to be inside the top ten, as they sit ninth in the current IIHF’s world ranking. To prepare for today’s action, here are their roster and projected lines.
The Slovaks scored an upset victory over Finland on Wednesday with a score of 4-1. Samuel Hlavaj was a huge reason they won, as he stopped 39 out of the 40 shots he faced. Juraj Slafkovsky had an excellent game, with two goals and an assist. If only he had a stick in his hands for the fourth goal, else he might have gotten a hat trick.
Slovakia is in an interesting position, as they have three points in the group stage. If they end up winning this game in regulation, they will give themselves a massive opportunity to advance to the quarterfinals.
Most career goals at the Olympics:
17 — Teemu Selanne
14 — Marian Hossa
13 — Olli Jokinen
13 — Daniel Alfredsson
11 — Pavel Bure
11 — Mats Sundin
10 — Jarome Iginla
9 — Ilya Kovalchuk
9 — Jaromir JagrJuraj Slafkovsky has 8 and he's only 21 years old. pic.twitter.com/FBr3moQgLy
— Big Head Hockey (@bigheadhockey) February 11, 2026
Starting Goalies
If he is not injured, we expect that Damian Clara will get the nod in goal for Italy. Word is that he left the game against Sweden with cramps and muscle fatigue. He had an excellent game on Wednesday against Sweden and kept them in it for as long as he was not hurt. In 30 SHL games this season with Brynäs IF, he has a 16-13-0 record, a 2.49 goals-against average, and an .888 save percentage. He has certainly turned some heads with his performance so far in these Olympics.
Slovakia will likely start Samuel Hlavaj for a second consecutive game. He has a 5-9-4 record, a 3.33 goals-against average and an .884 save percentage in 18 games with the AHL’s Iowa Wild this season. As mentioned, he had an excellent first game against Finland in the preliminary round.
But in the end, both teams decided to switch it up. Stanislav Skorvanek for Slovakia and Davide Fadani for Italy, as confirmed by Elliotte Friedman.
Also starting in 30 minutes is Italy/Slovakia
Two goaltending sensations of men’s hockey Day 1 are backups today:
Slovakia’s Samuel Hlavaj, to Stanislav Skorvanek
Italy’s Damian Clara (who left due to injury), is dressing behind Davide Fadani
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 13, 2026
Prediction and Best Bets
Italy has proven that they are not necessarily pushovers, but their game is still a step below that of other teams. With Slovakia’s star power, they should be able to win this game. A regulation win could punch their ticket to the quarterfinals.
Prediction: Slovakia wins 4-2.
Best Bets
To wrap things up, here are our anytime goal scorer picks. For Italy, we will pick first-line centre Matthew Bradley to score, as he did in the first game. On the Slovakia side, count on Juraj Slafkovsky to chip in once again on the Olympic stage.
Main Photo Credit: Photo by Andy Devlin/ Getty Images
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