How Dalibor Dvorsky’s late goal helped Slovakia clinch first place in Group B despite loss to Sweden

As Team Slovakia clinched its first place in Group B at the 2026 Olympic men's hockey tournament, St. Louis Blues first-round pick had a major role to play in the win. The Blues prospect's dramatic late goal led them in their final preliminary round game.

As per reports, Dalibor Dvorsky scored a power-play goal in the remaining seconds of the third period to pull Slovakia within two goals. This led the team to secure first place in Group B, despite a 5-3 loss to Sweden at the Milano Santagiulia IHO Arena in Milan, Italy, on Saturday, in the preliminary play of the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.

Previously, Dvorsky has represented Slovakia at various levels, including as captain of the U-20 World Junior Team, and was selected for the Slovak national team at the 2026 Winter Olympics. He scored key goals in the Olympic group stage, helping Slovakia secure a top-seed finish. Besides, he was selected 10th overall by the Blues in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and signed a three-year entry-level contract with the club.

Dalibor Dvorsky’s timely goal helped Slovakia advance into the Quarterfinals of the Milano Cortina 2026

A late power-play goal from Dalibor Dvorsky proved very effective for Slovakia's men's national ice hockey team, as Slovakia secured first place in Group B at the 2026 Winter Olympics, despite a 5-3 loss to Sweden.

According to reports, within just 39 seconds remaining in regulation, the 20-year-old Dvorsky scored to make it a two-goal game, sparking wild celebrations on the Slovak bench as the goal proved pivotal in the tiebreakers. The marker shifted goal differentials among the top three teams, Slovakia, Sweden, and Finland, allowing Slovakia to take first place now.


Though the goal did not change the scoreboard, it altered the group dynamics. Their first-place finish means a direct berth into the quarterfinals, avoiding the qualification round faced by second and third-place teams. Sweden, despite the victory, will now have to take the longer route to the knockout stage.

Celebrating Slovakia’s place in the quarterfinals, the St. Louis Blues stated on Instagram, “Talk about CLUTCH!! Dalibor Dvorsky scored with 39 seconds left on Saturday to win Group B for Team Slovakia. They now advance directly to the quarterfinals at the #MilanoCortina2026 #WinterOlympics."

According to the Hockey News, Team Sweden needed three goals to claim the top spot in the group and advance to the quarterfinal stage. But, Slovakia (2-0-1-0) will claim that spot after Finland (2-0-1-0) blasted the host country, Italy, 11-0, to give Slovakia the first-place finish, where it won't have to play now until Wednesday.


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