By Amy Tennery MILAN, Feb 11 - Juraj Slafkovsky scored twice as Slovakia stunned defending Olympic champions Finland 4-1 in the opening game of the Milano Cortina men's ice hockey tournament on Wednesday in front of a packed house at Santagiulia Arena.

MILAN, Italy -- Underdog Italy made podium-contending Sweden work for its 5-2 win in the men's ice hockey group stage on Wednesday and Slovakia stunned defending champions Finland 4-1, as the Olympic tournament delivered thrills on its opening day.

The Montreal Canadiens star helped Slovakia stun Finland in their 2026 Winter Olympics opener.

Slafkovsky is the only NHL player with at least 20 goals, 100 shots on goal (117), 80 hits (83) and 40 blocks (53) this season. He scored seven goals in seven games for Slovakia to lead the entire 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was also tied for the most points (seven) in that tournament.