Jesse Puljujarvi (#13) and captain Alexander Barkov (#16) teamed up effectively in a 4-1 Finnish win over Hungary at the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Zurich.
photo: PHOTO: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / ANDRE RINGUETTE
Jesse Puljujarvi stepped up with two goals and an assist as Finland defeated underdog Hungary 4-1 for its second straight Group A win on Saturday.
Playing in his third IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, Puljujarvi now leads the undefeated Finns with five points in Zurich. Ville Heinola had a goal and an assist, and Janne Kuokkanen also scored for Finland. Captain Aleksander Barkov had a pair of helpers.
Of Finland's ambitions, Puljujarvi said: "There is only one goal. It's the full process. Every day we try to get better, and we hope we go all the way."
Balazs Sebok replied for Hungary, which deserved some credit for keeping the score closer than expected in its opener.
Finland will enjoy a day of rest before taking on the defending champion Americans on Monday. Barkov said: "I expect that it's going to be a tough game. USA is a great team, so we're going to have to play our best game."
The Finns are aiming for their first world title since the “double gold” year of 2022, including the historic Olympic gold in Beijing, followed by a dramatic final win over Canada at the Men's Worlds in Tampere. Suomi captured Olympic bronze in Milan this year with a 6-1 drubbing of Slovakia.
Finland played without forward Teuvo Teravainen, whose tournament is over. The 31-year-old Chicago Blackhawks veteran was injured in the 3-1 win over Germany, in which he registered two assists, In Teravainen’s absence, coach Antti Pennanen promoted Puljujarvi to the top line alongside Aleksander Barkov and Sakari Manninen.
The 28-year-old Puljujarvi, who led Finland to U18 and U20 gold in 2016, struggled for a decade in the NHL, but found renewed confidence this season by leading the Swiss NL with 33 assists for Geneve-Servette.
Hungary finished 14th at last year’s Worlds, managing to stay in the top division for two years running. That’s a feat it hadn’t previously achieved in the 21st century. The Hungarians have a key matchup on Sunday versus neighbouring rival Austria.
"We know the Austrian team really well, because half of our team is playing in the Austrian league," said Hungarian forward Istvan Terbocs. "So there's not going to be any surprises for us. We'll just prepare well, like today, and give all that we have, and we will see what the result is. Hopefully it's a win."
The Finns outshot Hungary 32-10. For Finnish goalie Joonas Korpisalo, appearing in his second Worlds (2017), this was a far cry from his NHL playoff record-setting 85-save performance in Columbus’s 3-2 loss to Tampa in quintuple overtime in 2020. Hungarian goalie Adam Vay did his best under pressure.
"I think we played a little bit better today," said Finnish blueliner Olli Maatta. "We defended well. I don't think we gave up much. Obviously a couple of breaks, but overall, we outchanced them and it was a pretty solid game."
After a tepid start, Finland’s superior skill and physicality ultimately enabled it to take over.
In the scoreless opening period, Vay made a sharp toe save to deny Janne Kuokkanen coming out from behind the net with a stuff-in attempt.
Heinola broke the ice 46 seconds into the middle frame, lofting a point shot that sailed over Vay's right shoulder.
Puljujarvi doubled Finland's lead at 3:15. After Barkov stickhandled through a forest of Hungarian defenders and put the puck on net, Puljujarvi was there to convert the rebound.
The Hungarians capitalized on sloppy Finnish defensive-zone coverage to cut the deficit to 2-1 at 6:01. Terbocs centered a backhanded pass from the corner to Bence Horvath, who found Sebok back door with a wide-open net. It was a sweet tic-tac-toe play that the Magyars can use as a confidence-booster for future games.
"It was a little bit of work, a little bit fancy," said Terbocs with a smile. "End of the day, it was a really good, very nice goal."
Intense Finnish pressure bore fruit at 16:03 as Kuokkanen beat Vay with a long glove-side wrister for a 3-1 lead. Second-period shots favoured Suomi 18-5.
In the third period, Puljujarvi capitalized on a Finnish power play at 2:36, standing in front of Vay as Barkov fired the puck and banging in the rebound. The Finns played a penalty-free game and allowed Hungary zero shots in the final stanza.
Of playing with Barkov, Puljujarvi said: "It was fun. We found our rhythm and our place in the second and third period."
Taking Teravainen’s roster spot was 26-year-old Eemil Erholtz, coming off a career season (50 points) with Karpat to play in his second consecutive Worlds.
The Finns have never lost to Hungary at the Worlds. In the two previous meetings, Juuse Saros had a 13-save shutout in a 3-0 Finnish win in 2016, and Mikko Rantanen led the way with three assists in a 7-1 romp in 2023.
Playing in his third IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, Puljujarvi now leads the undefeated Finns with five points in Zurich. Ville Heinola had a goal and an assist, and Janne Kuokkanen also scored for Finland. Captain Aleksander Barkov had a pair of helpers.
Of Finland's ambitions, Puljujarvi said: "There is only one goal. It's the full process. Every day we try to get better, and we hope we go all the way."
Balazs Sebok replied for Hungary, which deserved some credit for keeping the score closer than expected in its opener.
Finland will enjoy a day of rest before taking on the defending champion Americans on Monday. Barkov said: "I expect that it's going to be a tough game. USA is a great team, so we're going to have to play our best game."
The Finns are aiming for their first world title since the “double gold” year of 2022, including the historic Olympic gold in Beijing, followed by a dramatic final win over Canada at the Men's Worlds in Tampere. Suomi captured Olympic bronze in Milan this year with a 6-1 drubbing of Slovakia.
Finland played without forward Teuvo Teravainen, whose tournament is over. The 31-year-old Chicago Blackhawks veteran was injured in the 3-1 win over Germany, in which he registered two assists, In Teravainen’s absence, coach Antti Pennanen promoted Puljujarvi to the top line alongside Aleksander Barkov and Sakari Manninen.
The 28-year-old Puljujarvi, who led Finland to U18 and U20 gold in 2016, struggled for a decade in the NHL, but found renewed confidence this season by leading the Swiss NL with 33 assists for Geneve-Servette.
Hungary finished 14th at last year’s Worlds, managing to stay in the top division for two years running. That’s a feat it hadn’t previously achieved in the 21st century. The Hungarians have a key matchup on Sunday versus neighbouring rival Austria.
"We know the Austrian team really well, because half of our team is playing in the Austrian league," said Hungarian forward Istvan Terbocs. "So there's not going to be any surprises for us. We'll just prepare well, like today, and give all that we have, and we will see what the result is. Hopefully it's a win."
The Finns outshot Hungary 32-10. For Finnish goalie Joonas Korpisalo, appearing in his second Worlds (2017), this was a far cry from his NHL playoff record-setting 85-save performance in Columbus’s 3-2 loss to Tampa in quintuple overtime in 2020. Hungarian goalie Adam Vay did his best under pressure.
"I think we played a little bit better today," said Finnish blueliner Olli Maatta. "We defended well. I don't think we gave up much. Obviously a couple of breaks, but overall, we outchanced them and it was a pretty solid game."
After a tepid start, Finland’s superior skill and physicality ultimately enabled it to take over.
In the scoreless opening period, Vay made a sharp toe save to deny Janne Kuokkanen coming out from behind the net with a stuff-in attempt.
Heinola broke the ice 46 seconds into the middle frame, lofting a point shot that sailed over Vay's right shoulder.
Puljujarvi doubled Finland's lead at 3:15. After Barkov stickhandled through a forest of Hungarian defenders and put the puck on net, Puljujarvi was there to convert the rebound.
The Hungarians capitalized on sloppy Finnish defensive-zone coverage to cut the deficit to 2-1 at 6:01. Terbocs centered a backhanded pass from the corner to Bence Horvath, who found Sebok back door with a wide-open net. It was a sweet tic-tac-toe play that the Magyars can use as a confidence-booster for future games.
"It was a little bit of work, a little bit fancy," said Terbocs with a smile. "End of the day, it was a really good, very nice goal."
Intense Finnish pressure bore fruit at 16:03 as Kuokkanen beat Vay with a long glove-side wrister for a 3-1 lead. Second-period shots favoured Suomi 18-5.
In the third period, Puljujarvi capitalized on a Finnish power play at 2:36, standing in front of Vay as Barkov fired the puck and banging in the rebound. The Finns played a penalty-free game and allowed Hungary zero shots in the final stanza.
Of playing with Barkov, Puljujarvi said: "It was fun. We found our rhythm and our place in the second and third period."
Taking Teravainen’s roster spot was 26-year-old Eemil Erholtz, coming off a career season (50 points) with Karpat to play in his second consecutive Worlds.
The Finns have never lost to Hungary at the Worlds. In the two previous meetings, Juuse Saros had a 13-save shutout in a 3-0 Finnish win in 2016, and Mikko Rantanen led the way with three assists in a 7-1 romp in 2023.
Hungary vs Finland - 2026 IIHF Men's World Championship
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