Italy vs Slovakia Prediction & Picks - Ice hockey - Men's Olympic Tournament
International - Ice hockey - Men's Olympic Tournament
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by Taavi Pailk | in Ice hockey - Men's Olympic Tournament Picks
After shocking Finland with a victory in the opening game, Slovakia will take on the host nation, Italy, in the 2026 Olympic men’s ice hockey tournament on Friday at the Fiera Milano in Milan.
On Wednesday, Slovakia looked impressive from top to bottom, producing eye-popping offensive moments and playing solid defense. Goaltender Samuel Hlavaj deserves the most credit, as he finished the 4-1 victory with 39 saves and a .975 save percentage.
Offensively, Juraj Slafkovsky led the charge. The Montreal Canadiens forward had a hand in three goals, lighting the lamp twice and recording one assist. He could do even more damage against an Italian team that lost 5-2 to Sweden.
Italy has no NHL players on the roster at the Olympics, and all 25 players are debutants on this stage. The team lacks quality and experience, making a three-goal loss to a world-class Sweden team a respectable result.
The Italians were outshot 60-22 on Wednesday night, but Sweden managed to seal the victory with only a couple of late goals. Jukka Jalonen’s team will also hope to frustrate Slovakia as much as possible. The hosts’ greatest opportunity for a positive result lies in a tightly contested, low-scoring game.
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Italy vs Slovakia Form
Table
| Teams | Pts | P | W | L | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | +2 |
|
4
|
0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | -15 |
Italy and Slovakia Latest Matches
0/2 (0%)
2/2 (100%)
Feb 11, 2026 - Ice hockey - Men's Olympic Tournament
Feb 4, 2026 - International Friendly Games
0/1 (0%)
1/1 (100%)
Feb 4, 2026 - International Friendly Games
0/1 (0%)
1/1 (100%)
Feb 11, 2026 - Ice hockey - Men's Olympic Tournament
4/6 (67%)
2/6 (33%)
Feb 11, 2026 - Ice hockey - Men's Olympic Tournament
Nov 9, 2025 - Germany Cup
Nov 8, 2025 - Germany Cup
Nov 6, 2025 - Germany Cup
May 17, 2025 - IIHF World Championship
Sep 1, 2024 - Olympic Qualification, Group D
4/4 (100%)
0/4 (0%)
Feb 11, 2026 - Ice hockey - Men's Olympic Tournament
Nov 8, 2025 - Germany Cup
Sep 1, 2024 - Olympic Qualification, Group D
Aug 29, 2024 - Olympic Qualification, Group D
2/4 (50%)
2/4 (50%)
Nov 9, 2025 - Germany Cup
Nov 6, 2025 - Germany Cup
May 17, 2025 - IIHF World Championship
Aug 30, 2024 - Olympic Qualification, Group D
Players list
D. Fadani
D. Clara
G. Di Tomaso
J. Seed
P. Pietroniro
D. Di Perna
A. Trivellato
T. Larkin
L. Zanatta
D. Glira
M. Bradley
T. Purdeller
T. De Luca
M. Zanetti
D. Mantenuto
M. Frycklund
D. Kostner
G. Morini
L. Frigo
N. Saracino
D. Gazley
C. DiGiacinto
S. Hlavaj
S. Skorvanek
S. Nemec
M. Gernat
P. Ceresnak
M. Marincin
E. Cernak
M. Fehervary
P. Koch
P. Regenda
S. Takac
M. Pospisil
A. Liska
O. Okuliar
M. Kelemen
D. Dvorsky
J. Slafkovsky
M. Sukel
L. Cingel
L. Hudacek
A. Ruzicka
T. Tatar
Most goals and assists
Italy
Slovakia
M. Bradley
(2 Goals)
J. Slafkovsky
(4 Goals)
T. Larkin
(2 Assists)
,
D. Gazley
(2 Assists)
,
P. Pietroniro
(2 Assists)
J. Slafkovsky
(4 Assists)
,
M. Fehervary
(4 Assists)
Italy - Slovakia Key Points
- Slovakia has won 14 of 18 head-to-head meetings against Italy.
- The teams allowed a combined 100 shots on goal in their first games.
- Italy has lost 12 of its last 14 Olympic outings.
- Slovakia’s seven NHLers have combined for 116 points (51 goals, 68 assists) this season.
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Our Italy vs Slovakia Prediction
Slovakia rocked Finland with a 4-1 victory, but three of the goals came in the third period. Even with a wide disparity in talent, Italy’s goaltenders made scoring tough for Sweden, combining for an impressive .932 save percentage, so goals may be hard to come by for Slovakia as well.
There’s no NHL quality on the Italian roster, but Jalonen has been a hugely successful coach. He led Finland to Olympic gold in 2022 and three World Championship titles. The 63-year-old clearly knows how to get the best out of his team and has plenty of know-how to make Friday’s matchup an unpleasant experience for the Slovaks.
Our prediction for Italy vs. Slovakia: Under 6.5 goals.
All tips are fully researched and given in good faith, but profits cannot be guaranteed.
