![[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Feb 11, 2026; Milan, Italy; Gabriel Landeskog of Sweden celebrates scoring their first goal against Italy in men's ice hockey group B play during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: David W Cerny/Reuters via Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_459,y_730,w_1590,h_894/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/108/01khbt6r0c2xrfrq327f.jpg "[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Feb 11, 2026; Milan, Italy; Gabriel Landeskog of Sweden celebrates scoring their first goal against Italy in men's ice hockey group B play during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: David W Cerny/Reuters via Imagn Images")
Colorado Avalanche teammates Artturi Lehkonen and Gabriel Landeskog went head-to-head in a crucial must-win game for Team Finland. The Finnish side faced off against Team Sweden, looking to make up for a tough 4-1 loss to Team Slovakia in the 2026 Olympics’ first match last Wednesday.
The Finns showed up ready to play, with Finland grabbing a 4-1 win over Sweden. The game was a hard-fought affair that featured strong end-to-end action. Finland jumped out to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.
Then, Swedish blueliner Rasmus Dahlin scored a power play goal to bring the Swedes to within one. The game stayed that way until Joel Armia of the LA Kings scored a shorthanded goal for Finland. The tally put the Finns up 3-1.
Former Avalanche star Mikko Rantanen added an empty-netter late in the third period to ice the win for Finland.
Sweden and Finland now have one win apiece, with their next games being crucial in deciding who’ll earn the bye to the quarterfinals.
As for Team Sweden captain Gabriel Landeskog, he had a quiet game after scoring a goal in the opener. The Avalanche star hit the ice for 15:36 across 20 shifts. He played a solid game, but could not manage to break through onto the scoresheet.
Similarly, Artturi Lehkonen had another muted performance on Friday. The Avalanche top-line winger played a little over 14 minutes across 20 shifts. He didn’t get very many looks, but could be on the verge of breaking out. Lehkonen is playing in Finland’s second line with Sebastian Aho of the Carolina Hurricanes and Teuvo Teravainen of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Landeskog, meanwhile, is playing a bottom-six role for Sweden. He’s on a line with Alex Wennberg of the San Jose Sharks and Pontus Holmberg of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Landeskog’s role as a bottom-six forward shows just how deep the Swedish side really is.
Sweden will face Slovakia on Saturday. Slovakia is 2-0 after defeating the host Italian side on Friday. Finland will face Italy in their final round-robin match on Saturday, as well.