The 2026 Olympic women’s hockey tournament opened with drama both on and off the ice. Sweden delivered a convincing victory while a highly anticipated showdown was derailed by illness.

A norovirus outbreak swept through Finland’s roster just hours before their scheduled Group A matchup against Canada. This forced organizers to postpone the opening-day clash between two medal favourites.

Canada-Finland showdown postponed to Feb. 12

The game, originally set for Wednesday February 5, will now take place on February 12 at 2:30 p.m. local time at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena. The decision came after 13 of Finland’s 23 rostered players were either diagnosed with the virus or placed in quarantine due to exposure.

Tournament officials confirmed the postponement was made following consultations with medical professionals. They stressed that player health and safety remained the top priority at the moment. The week-long delay gives Finland crucial time to recover before facing one of their primary rivals for Olympic medals.

“The decision was taken following consultations with medical professionals after cases of norovirus were identified within Team Finland. It was made collectively and in accordance with established health and safety principles, with the health and wellbeing of players, team staff, officials and all tournament participants as the highest priority,” read the official statement.

Among those affected are veteran forwards Michelle Karvinen and Susanna Tapani, along with Ronja Savolainen, Sanni Ahola, Noora Tulus, Julia Liikala, Emma Nuutinen, Emilia Vesa, Julia Schalin, Jennina Nylund, Sanni Vanhanen, Sini Karjalainen and Elli Suoranta.

Team Finland isn’t sure whether they’ll have enough players available to play vs Canada tonight.

13 players are either sick or quarantining due to exposure to the sick players.

No timeline on when a decision will be made on if they can compete or not. @CBCOlympics #Olympics…

— Claire Hanna (@clahanna) February 5, 2026

The widespread nature of the outbreak had left Finland’s coaching staff uncertain whether they could field a competitive roster for the scheduled contest per TSN’s Claire Hanna.

Sweden marks statement win in Group B

While one highly anticipated game was postponed, Team Sweden wasted no time announcing their medal intentions with a 4–1 victory over Germany in Group B action.

Despite Germany drawing first blood through a power play marker by Nina Jobst-Smith, Sweden responded soon after. Montreal Victoire forward Lina Ljungblom stole the spotlight with a two-goal performance. First, she equalized in the opening frame before giving Sweden the lead early in the second period.

Ljungblom’s go-ahead goal came on the power play. Just over seven minutes into the middle frame, she shoveled home a backhand shot net-front. This beat Montreal teammate Sandra Abstreiter for a 2–1 advantage.

Sweden extended their lead late in the second when Ohio State defender Mira Jungaker unleashed a shot from the right circle. She found the top shelf, making it 3–1 on another power play conversion. Thea Johansson capped the scoring in the third period. She redirected a puck past Abstreiter on a 2-on-1 rush with fellow NCAA forward Hilda Svensson.

Sweden dominated territorially outshooting Germany 37–16. They showed off some serious special teams prowess that could make them dangerous throughout the tournament.

In a surprising decision, Sweden started 21-year-old netminder Ebba Svensson Traff over Emma Soderberg in the crucial Group B opener. The young goaltender validated the coaching staff’s confidence with 15 saves though, while Abstreiter made 33 stops in a losing effort for Germany.

Both Sweden and Germany were expected pre-tournament to be among the top teams in Group B, advancing to the quarterfinals. Sweden has already lived up to that billing.

Going forward

After a day off, Germany faces Japan while Sweden takes on Italy on February 7. Meanwhile, Canada and Finland will use the unexpected break to prepare for their rescheduled February 12 encounter. Finland hopes their roster will be healthy and ready to compete for what promises to be a crucial Group A showdown.