photo: Matt Zambonin/IIHF
Slovakia won their second game in as many days and the Italians lost for the second time in 24 hours.
The 4-1 score gives Slovakia top spot in Group B while Italy already has to be concerned about relegation, especially after Slovenia’s stunning overtime win over Czechia yesterday.
Coming into the game, Slovakia had an all-time record of 7-0 against the Italians. Make that 8-0 now.
Both teams enjoy a day off before playing again. Italy takes on Norway on Tuesday afternoon, and in the evening it’s Slovakia and Slovenia.
"Overall, I think we played really well as a team," said Martin Pospisil, who had two assists in the game. "Each line played really good hockey, and our goalie was great. It was a great game. I think the important thing we wanted to work on was the power play. And we didn't want to spend too much time in the d-zone. Just get the puck up quickly, and take away their space. We wanted to play hard against them and take away their scoring chances."
The Italians played with a lot more poise and confidence than they did yesterday, when they lost 6-0 to Canada. That might have been partly because of getting one game under their belt, and also because yesterday the Canadians jumped on them so quickly they simply weren’t able to adapt.
"I think we played better than yesterday," said coach Jukka Jalonen who came over from Finland as bench boss, "but still we made some mistakes and Slovakia capitalized. But we have to learn from this and improve. Physically, I think we were fine. But this is a high-level of play for us, and we have to learn to adjust with the few games we have left."
That being said, Slovakia came out and took the play to Italy, creating most of the good scoring chances and converting on one at 13:31. Mislav Rosandic got the puck at the point and moved in to the open slot, but just when it looked like he was going to shoot he made a hard pass to the side of the goal where captain Marek Hrivik redirected it in for a well-earned 1-0 Slovakia lead.
The goal came after Italy had successfully killed off the only power play of the period, and they did so by blocking shots and protecting goalie Jake Smith effectively.
The Slovaks had a great chance to double their lead early in the second while playing short-handed. Adam Sykora’s quick shot, however, was matched by Smith’s glove save. Smith also stoned Andrej Kollar a short time later on a back-door shot that the goalie managed to get a pad on. Filip Mesar also had a clear break but shot over the crossbar.
Nevertheless, Slovakia managed to make it 2-0 with only 27.2 seconds remaining in the second. Taking advantage of a turnover inside their blue line, they came up ice on a 3-on-2. Viliam Kmec’s shot went wide, but the puck came straight back to him, and he managed to whack it in before Smith could get a paddle on the airborne disc.
The Slovaks upped their lead just 30 seconds into the third off another turnover at their blue line. Martin Pospisil made the pass on the ensuing 2-on-1, and his brother Kristian wired the shot home to make it 3-0.
"It was a great play on the wall by Faska-Rudas, and also with my brother on the right side, so I'm happy it ended in the net," Martin enthused.
The Italians spoiled Adam Gajan's shutout at 5:03 when a point shot from Gabriel Nitz went all the way. But Slovakia got that back on a later power play when Martin Pospisil fed Oliver Okuliar from the crease area for the tap in at 14:13.
The 4-1 score gives Slovakia top spot in Group B while Italy already has to be concerned about relegation, especially after Slovenia’s stunning overtime win over Czechia yesterday.
Coming into the game, Slovakia had an all-time record of 7-0 against the Italians. Make that 8-0 now.
Both teams enjoy a day off before playing again. Italy takes on Norway on Tuesday afternoon, and in the evening it’s Slovakia and Slovenia.
"Overall, I think we played really well as a team," said Martin Pospisil, who had two assists in the game. "Each line played really good hockey, and our goalie was great. It was a great game. I think the important thing we wanted to work on was the power play. And we didn't want to spend too much time in the d-zone. Just get the puck up quickly, and take away their space. We wanted to play hard against them and take away their scoring chances."
The Italians played with a lot more poise and confidence than they did yesterday, when they lost 6-0 to Canada. That might have been partly because of getting one game under their belt, and also because yesterday the Canadians jumped on them so quickly they simply weren’t able to adapt.
"I think we played better than yesterday," said coach Jukka Jalonen who came over from Finland as bench boss, "but still we made some mistakes and Slovakia capitalized. But we have to learn from this and improve. Physically, I think we were fine. But this is a high-level of play for us, and we have to learn to adjust with the few games we have left."
That being said, Slovakia came out and took the play to Italy, creating most of the good scoring chances and converting on one at 13:31. Mislav Rosandic got the puck at the point and moved in to the open slot, but just when it looked like he was going to shoot he made a hard pass to the side of the goal where captain Marek Hrivik redirected it in for a well-earned 1-0 Slovakia lead.
The goal came after Italy had successfully killed off the only power play of the period, and they did so by blocking shots and protecting goalie Jake Smith effectively.
The Slovaks had a great chance to double their lead early in the second while playing short-handed. Adam Sykora’s quick shot, however, was matched by Smith’s glove save. Smith also stoned Andrej Kollar a short time later on a back-door shot that the goalie managed to get a pad on. Filip Mesar also had a clear break but shot over the crossbar.
Nevertheless, Slovakia managed to make it 2-0 with only 27.2 seconds remaining in the second. Taking advantage of a turnover inside their blue line, they came up ice on a 3-on-2. Viliam Kmec’s shot went wide, but the puck came straight back to him, and he managed to whack it in before Smith could get a paddle on the airborne disc.
The Slovaks upped their lead just 30 seconds into the third off another turnover at their blue line. Martin Pospisil made the pass on the ensuing 2-on-1, and his brother Kristian wired the shot home to make it 3-0.
"It was a great play on the wall by Faska-Rudas, and also with my brother on the right side, so I'm happy it ended in the net," Martin enthused.
The Italians spoiled Adam Gajan's shutout at 5:03 when a point shot from Gabriel Nitz went all the way. But Slovakia got that back on a later power play when Martin Pospisil fed Oliver Okuliar from the crease area for the tap in at 14:13.
Italy vs Slovakia - 2026 IIHF Men's World Championship
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