Match Preview
Germany failed to impress during the group phase, particularly in their loss to Latvia, so I don’t see them as favorites here. Slovakia performed excellently in the so-called group of death, and I am backing them to advance to the semifinals.
Slovakia Exceeding Expectations
Slovakia have been the most pleasant surprise of the Winter Olympics 2026 group stage, advancing directly to the quarterfinals despite being regarded as underdogs before the tournament.
In their opening match, the Slovaks comfortably beat Finland 4-1, with goaltender Samuel Hlavaj playing a huge role after making 39 saves. Juraj Slafkovsky dominated in open ice, registering two goals and one assist to earn man-of-the-match honors.
They followed that up with another strong display against Italy, controlling large spells of the game despite the narrow 3-2 scoreline.
A 5-3 defeat to Sweden in the final round still proved enough to secure first place in the group thanks to a superior goal difference. Slafkovsky found the net again, while Peter Ceresnak contributed two assists.
Germany Still Unconvincing
Unlike their upcoming opponents, Germany did not enjoy a strong group-stage run and were forced to play an additional elimination match.
They had no problems against underdogs France in the Round of 16, claiming a commanding 5-1 victory after racing into a 3-0 lead in the first period. NHL star Leon Draisaitl starred with one goal and two assists.
Germany only narrowly made it out of the group stage, opening the tournament with a 3-1 win over Denmark before suffering back-to-back defeats to Latvia 4-3 and the United States 5-1.