Slovak hockey players suffered their first defeat at the 2026 World Championship in Switzerland. After a 5:1 win over Denmark, which brought them to 11 points, they fell on Sunday to tournament favorite Canada 1:5. Despite the clear defeat, the Slovaks still have progression to the quarterfinals in their own hands and need to earn points in their final match against Sweden, which does not have qualification secured after losing to Norway. STVR (Spravy) ↗
The match against Canada was markedly different from the Slovak team's previous encounters. The Slovaks kept pace with the favored opponent for the first two periods, but fell apart in the final period as Canada decided the match clearly. The decisive goal came at the start of the third period, when Gabriel Vilardi capitalized on a randomly deflected puck during Oliver Okuliar's penalty to score to make it 2:1. ta3.com ↗
Coach Vladimír Országh's charges have nothing to be ashamed of, having delivered a quality performance and competed with a significantly favored opponent for a long stretch. After the match, the players said the result was too cruel for them and that they may have lacked strength after a demanding weekend, during which they also played a match against the Czech Republic. Samuel Hlavaj was again given the coaches' trust in goal and played without major errors. STVR (Spravy) ↗
Toward the end of the match, coach Országh decided to go with a different approach and put Kristián Pospíšil on the ice, which sparked discussion about decisions made in critical moments. However, the Slovaks can still secure progression to the quarterfinals in the final group-stage match if they perform better than they did against Canada, and they will play against the Swedes without major pressure. Mathematically, they could reach the quarterfinals even without another point if the results of other matches are favorable, but it would be safer to earn the points themselves in the final match. postoj.sk ↗
Slovaks lost to Canada, but progression to the quarterfinals remains in their own hands
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Nervózny Crosby tlačil na rozhodcov, tvrdí expert. A podarilo sa. Luka, už vystrel! vyzýval Radivojevič syna
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| 22:54 24.05.
Konečne, všetci sme mu to priali, kričal Gáborík. Valábik sa po chybe zastal mladíka
sme.sk
| 23:35 21.05.
Slováci hodnotia zápas s Nórskom: Hlavaj bol najlepším hráčom, Hrivík nebol spokojný s prejavom
STVR (Spravy)
| 17:18 16.05.
Kritika rozhodcov? Országh nesúhlasil s tým, ako to videli hráči. Vysvetlil, prečo v závere posadil Pospíšila
sport.pravda.sk
| 05:45 25.05.
Legendárny Nedomanský naložil Slovákom. Stále sa na niečo sťažujú, nie sú takí dobrí, ako si myslia. Na záver to schytal aj Országh
sport.pravda.sk
| 11:16 24.05.
Postupová kalkulačka: Slováci to majú vo vlastných rukách, ale ich situácia je už mimoriadne ťažká
sport.pravda.sk
| 06:20 24.05.
Slovensko je blízko štvrťfinále / Zvládlo kľúčové zápasy a priebeh skupiny dáva výhram ešte väčšiu váhu. S favoritmi môže hrať bez veľkého tlaku
postoj.sk
| 13:03 22.05.
Országha teší stúpajúca krivka výkonov: Zápasy proti favoritom skupiny ukážu, kde sme
STVR (Spravy)
| 10:48 22.05.
Slovenská hokejová reprezentácia postupuje na MS 2026 vo Švajčiarsku bez prehry, štvrtý zápas s Dánskom vyhrala presvedčivo 5:1
HotInfo
| 06:47 22.05.
Je to divočina, opisoval Ramsay zápasy Slovákov a Čechov. Rivalitu však vystihujú skôr Sýkora a Chmelař
dennikn.sk
| 01:58 22.05.
Najkreatívnejší Slováci na MS? Pálffy a Pospíšil. A to sme si mysleli, že je to len zrážač, vraví Országh
dennikn.sk
| 16:46 17.05.
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