Nylander rescues Team Sweden from another Olympic upset

Toronto Maple Leafs star William Nylander rescued Team Sweden in their opening match at the 2026 Winter Olympics, beating the host Italian side 5-2. However, the game was much closer than the score suggests.

Despite outshooting the Italians 60-22, the Swedes were tied at two late in the second period. That’s when Nylander notched his first of the Olympics at the 16:46 mark. Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres and Adrian Kempe of the LA Kings assisted on the marker.

The Swedes held on to a 3-2 lead for most of the third period. The game was close until Mika Zibanejad finally got the insurance goal with less than five minutes to play. The goal came on the Italian backup goaltender after starter Damian Clara left the game due to injury.

Clara evidently got hurt making a brilliant save on a breakaway by the Vancouver Canucks’ Elias Pettersson. Clara kept the game close, but the Swedes pulled away in the end.

The win was a much-needed one, as it avoided another major upset.

Nylander helped Sweden avoid Finland’s fate

Earlier in the day, Finland met Slovakia in the Olympics’ first game. However, the Slovakian side pulled off the tourney’s first major upset. Slovakia got a huge 4-1 win over the Finnish side on the strength of two goals from Montreal Canadiens’ star Juraj Slafkovsky.

That was the fate Nylander helped the Swedes avoid. The Italian side took an early 1-0 lead, making it seem like a second straight upset could have been in the works. Then, Team Sweden captain Gabriel Landeskog scored to tie the game. The Swedes took a 2-1 lead into the dressing room after 40 minutes.

Early in the second, the Italians tied the game at two. The Santagiulia Arena was silent at the outcome. But then, Nylander brought Sweden back from the brink.

The Swedes will need to be on top of their game as they take on Finland on Saturday. The game will likely determine who leads the group and earns the bye to the quarterfinals.