Olympics: Rasmus Dahlin Powers Sweden Past Italy 5-2

Originally posted on Inside The Rink
By Alexander DeBerardinis | Last updated Feb 12, 2026 1:52 AM ET

The second game of men’s hockey at the Olympics kicked off this afternoon, where Italy would take on Sweden. Just about everyone had the Swedes winning due to their stacked roster, but the Italians kept things closer than they might have been prior.

Damian Clara played fantastically in net for the Italians and was by far one of the best players on the ice. On the other side of things, Rasmus Dahlin showed the world why he is one of the best defencemen in the world with a multi-point performance.

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Boxscore:

1st Period:

15:45 – ITALY G: Luca Frigo (1) A: unassisted

10:54 – SWEDEN G: Gabriel Landeskog (1) A: Mika Zibanejad (1), Erik Karlsson (1)

2:07 – SWEDEN G: Gustav Forsling (1) A: Jesper Bratt (1), Rasmus Dahlin (1)

2nd Period:

19:23 – ITALY G: Matthew Bradley (1) A: Dustin Gazley (1), Thomas Larkin (1)

3:14 – SWEDEN G: William Nylander (1) A: Rasmus Dahlin (2), Adrian Kempe (1)

3rd Period:

4:18 – SWEDEN G: Mika Zibanejad (1) A: Rasmus Dahlin (3), Rickard Rakell (1)

2:51 – SWEDEN G: Victor Hedman (1) A: Mika Zibanejad (2)

Game Notes:

As I mentioned before, it was a big night for Damian Clara, who picked up an injury in the third period. The Anaheim Ducks prospect gave Italy a chance in a game they had no business being in. Italy had a big game from Thomas Larkin as well. He was counted on to play huge minutes and tallied an assist as well. It’s going to take a much-improved offence from an Italian team that couldn’t even muster 20 shots, but they certainly took one of the best teams in this tournament into a tight match, which is something to be proud of.

The top line for Sweden looked great. Toronto’s William Nylander and Los Angeles’ Adrian Kempe were consistently creating chances in the offensive end. William Nylander specifically had a plethora of chances that just wouldn’t go. New Jersey’s Jesper Bratt had a great game as well, he didn’t jump off the stat sheet but his speed and hands were something to keep an eye on all night. Rasmus Dahlin was still the best player on the ice tonight, he had a huge three point game that pushed the Swede’s past the solid Italian goaltending.

Sweden controlled the entire game, heavily outshooting the Italian team, who were clearly on the back foot for most of the game. However, Filip Gustavsson left something to be desired in net. He let in 2 goals on the first 4 shots of the game, keeping the Italians in it. While the forward lines and the defensive group looked good, the goaltending is likely to change. I’m unsure if they will go to Jacob Markstrom or rookie goaltender Jesper Wallstedt for their rivalry game against the Finnish team.

Italy’s tournament seems to depend on the health of Damian Clara. Had Sweden not been the offensive juggernaut they are, it’s possible that Italy could have stolen some games. It’s unclear what the injury status for Clara is, he seemed to go down after a run-in with Elias Pettersson of the Swedish team in the third period.