On Sunday, February 8, Finland and the Czech Republic faced each other in the second match of the tournament for Finland and the third for the Czech Republic. Both teams had not yet won a match heading into this match. There was a lot at stake for the two teams to get their first win.
Related: Guide to the 2026 Winter Olympics Women’s Hockey Tournament
The Czech Republic scored a goal in the opening minutes of the first period and took an early lead. Both teams had power play opportunities in the first inning, one for the Czech Republic and two for Finland, but neither team took advantage of the extra player. Immediately after the Czech Republic killed the second penalty, they scored their second goal of the match and took an early lead.
In the second period, Finland settled for a cross-checking penalty, but the Czech Republic did not take advantage of the extra-player advantage. They still had a two-goal lead heading into the final frame. There was one power play opportunity for Finland in the third period, but they could not capitalize on the extra player advantage, nor during the five-on-five, giving the Czech Republic their lead. first victory in the tournament with a 2-0 shutout victory.
Finland hasn’t scored a goal yet
Finland has only played two matches in the Winter Olympics so far, as their first match was postponed. Several players were dealing with illness, so it was in the best interests of both Finland and the team they faced, Canada, to contain the spread of disease. Finland played their first match on Saturday, when they were eliminated 5-0 by the USA. They had a quick turnaround to beat the Czech Republic back-to-back, and unfortunately for Finland they had the same result.
Finland played 120 minutes of regular ice time and were shut out in both games. They haven’t scored a single goal in the tournament, so their chances of advancing to the quarter-finals are diminishing. If they hope to continue in the tournament, they will have to capitalize on attacking opportunities and find that chemistry.
Both teams had equal chances
Despite Finland not scoring in this match, they all had an equal chance of getting on the board. In the entire match, Finland was only one ahead of the Czech Republic, 25 to 24. Both teams were even in the attacking zone, and although it was Finland that had the extra shot, they just couldn’t connect.
The Czech Republic scored early in the first period on their second shot of the match. Late in the same period they scored their second goal of the match with their sixth shot. They took 18 more shots in the remaining 43 minutes of the match, but as they were the only team to score in the first, this negated their lack of scoring in the final two periods.
Mlynkova wrote Czech history
This may have been the Czech Republic’s first victory in the tournament, but this was not the only victory in the match. Natalie Mlynkova scored the winning goal late in the first to extend the team’s lead. This goal was her third at Olympic level, making her the first Czech player to score three goals in the tournament. Although she has only scored two goals at the 2026 Games, she scored her first in her first Olympic Games in Beijing in 2022, giving her this total.
Mlynkova currently plays for the Montreal Victoire in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL). This is her first season in the PWHL after Montreal selected her 10th overall in the second round. So far, she has played in fifteen games and has six points with four goals and two assists. She continually finds scoring opportunities, which has led her to the success she had at this year’s Olympics.
This is just the preliminary round and there is still one guaranteed match for the Czech Republic to play. There’s a chance she can raise her Olympic goal soon.
Czech Republic back on Monday, Finland back on Tuesday
The Czech Republic will play their second back-to-back of the Olympic tournament when they play the Czech Republic on Monday, February 9 at 3:10 PM ET.
Finland has a rest day and will take on Switzerland on Tuesday, February 10 at 3:10 PM ET.
#lessons #Czech #Republics #shutout #win #Finland #womens #Olympic #tournament #Hockey #Writers #Olympics #Latest #news #analysis