2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic update: How have the Canadiens players performed after their opening games

The 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics men’s hockey tournament is off to a flying start. As for the Montreal Canadiens players playing at the Olympics, some hit the ground running, while others were stuck watching from the press box. Juraj Slafkovsky (Slovakia) and Nick Suzuki (Canada) started on winning ways, while Oliver Kapanen (Finland) and Alexandre Texier (France) will be hoping to turn their tournament around after opening game losses. With a mix of results, let us catch up with how the Canadiens players have performed after their opening game at the Olympics.

Juraj Slafkovsky

The star man of the men’s hockey tournament so far, Slafkovsky, carried over the momentum he had from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Slovakia took on Finland in their opening matchup, and it did not take long before Slafkovsky opened the scoring. In a beautiful solo effort, Slafkovsky intercepts a pass from the Finnish defender, dekes out Dallas Star’s centre, Roope Hintz and then proceeds to skate around Nashville Predator’s goalie Juuse Saros as he slides the puck into the empty net.

Slafkovsky was not done just yet. After both teams traded goals in the second, with 10 minutes left in the third, Slafkovsky received a pass near the blueline and rifled a shot off the post and in, beating Saros blocker side. That goal was his ninth of his Olympic career, one more goal than the “Great 8”, Alexandre Ovechkin has in his career. With a couple of minutes left in the third, Slafkovsky, after losing his stick, decided to give soccer a try by kicking the puck to his team, which ended in another Slovakia goal, giving him his third point of the game. An incredible performance from a player who is not afraid of the biggest stages.

Oliver Kapanen

On the opposite end now, Kapanen took on his NHL teammate Slafkovsky in his opening game of the tournament. The only problem was that Kapanen was not in the lineup when Finland took on Slovakia. As the only rookie on the Finnish roster, it was not entirely surprising that he was not in the lineup, but after their performance against Slovakia, it will be shocking if he is not in the lineup next game.

Colorado Avalanche’s Joel Kiviranta was Finland’s 13th forward and did not get a single minute of ice time. With Kapanen being the only right-handed centre on the roster, he could be a useful asset if included in the lineup. With Finland taking on Sweden next, Canadiens fans will be on the lookout to see if Kapanen will make his Olympic debut.

Nick Suzuki

Suzuki made his Olympic debut against Czechia in an unusual position, playing on the wing on a line with Nathan Mackinnon and Brandon Hagel. Suzuki's Olympic debut did not go as planned at the start. Canada thought they took the lead early in the first period, but the goal was called back due to a tripping penalty called on Suzuki. However, he made up for his early blunder, netting the fifth goal of the game, tipping in a pass from Connor McDavid that fooled Czechia’s netminder Lukas Dostal.

Canada cruised past Czechia, a nation that has given Canada problems in other international tournaments, as the game ended 5-0. Canada’s next game is against Switzerland, and while they may not have the top-end talent of some other nations, they are always well-coached and difficult to play against. It will be interesting to see if they pose a bigger threat to Canada and Suzuki than Czechia did.

Alexandre Texier

Another Canadiens player making his Olympic debut, Texier, with France, took on Switzerland in their opening game of the tournament. Everyone thought France would struggle in the Olympics due to the lack of NHL talent, but after Italy’s performance against Sweden, nothing would be surprising anymore. However, France did not have the success Italy found in their opening games, as they failed to generate any offence against Switzerland. The game ended 4-0 in favour of Switzerland, with Texier playing an astonishing 23 minutes, finishing with three shots and a minus-one rating.

France’s next game will not be any easier as they will be playing Czechia, who are coming off a tough 5-0 loss to the Canadians. Both teams will have a lot to play for, as another loss will likely eliminate them from moving on to the knockout round. France will need Texier to be the engine and will be under a lot of pressure to produce if they want any chance of upsetting Czechia.