Olympic Hockey Preview: Canucks’ Pettersson and Lankinen lead off 2026 Men’s Olympic Hockey Tournament

Well, Vancouver Canucks fans, we’ve finally made it: NHL players are officially back in the Olympics.

And even more exciting for Vancouver fans, they get to watch a pair of Canucks on opening day. Let’s not wait any longer.

Slovakia vs. Finland

Coverage for Team Slovakia vs. Team Finland kicks off on February 11 at 7:40 AM PST / 4:40 PM local from Milano Santagiulia IHO. Viewers can watch on CBC, Bell Media (TSN) and Rogers Media (Sportsnet).

Here are the projected lines for tomorrow’s games, provided by Daily Faceoff.

Juuse Saros starts for the Finns. He earned the start at the 4 Nations Faceoff one year ago, but wound up splitting the net with the Canucks’ Kevin Lankinen.

The Slovaks have yet to announce a starter. Expect one of Adam Gajan (21-year-old Chicago Blackhawks prospect) or Samuel Hlavaj (24-year-old goaltender for the Iowa Wild)

Simon Nemec: It’s been a good season for Simon Nemec, but there could be more to prove for the 21-year-old defenceman. Drafted second overall in 2022, Nemec hasn’t been able to develop into a top-pairing defenceman while playing behind the likes of Dougie Hamilton and Luke Hughes. However, he will now be expected to be the top defenceman, playing important ice time for his country. He’ll be one to watch to see if he can handle that elevated role on the world’s biggest stage.

Mikael Granlund: Playing on a line with Mikko Rantanen, Granlund is really going to have to excel offensively if he’s going to stand out. However, Granlund was arguably the Finns’ best player at last year’s 4 Nations Face-off, finishing the tournament with three goals and four points, including the overtime winner against the Swedes in Game 2 of the Round Robin. We’ll see if he can continue that dominance, now playing in a clear offensive role, with two former Dallas Stars teammates in Rantanen and Roope Hintz.

Sweden vs. Italy

Coverage for Team Sweden vs. Team Italy kicks off on February 11 at 12:10 PM PST / 9:10 PM local from Milano Santagiulia IHO. Viewers can watch on CBC, Bell Media (TSN) and Rogers Media (Sportsnet).

Here are the projected lines for tomorrow’s games, provided by Daily Faceoff.

William Nylander (groin) is considered a game-time decision for this contest.

At the time of this writing, neither team has confirmed a starting goaltender. Daily Faceoff projects Filip Gustavsson (Minnesota Wild starting goaltender) and Damian Clara (21-year-old Anaheim Ducks prospect).

Elias Pettersson: Now, Elias Pettersson wouldn’t be the one to watch in many markets. But in Vancouver? He absolutely is. After a disappointing 4 Nations, Pettersson has something to prove at this tournament. Starting as the team’s number one centre heading into the last tournament with Sweden, he was quickly dropped to the bottom six and finished the final game playing sub-10 minutes. Those struggles have followed him into this season, so we’ll see if Pettersson can pick apart a weaker opponent and spark a resurgence.

Damian Clara: Although we aren’t sure whether he will get the start tomorrow, Damian Clara is someone to watch closely on an Italian team that isn’t rich with talent, because he is the only Italian-born player on the team that was ever drafted to the NHL – in the second round, 60th overall, to boot. He’s just a young kid, but as the clear best player on the team, and going up against one of the tournament favourites, he should be a busy guy in front of his country.

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