Puck drops on men's hockey with NHL flavor

MILAN (AP) — The puck dropped on men's hockey Wednesday, marking the return of NHL players to the Olympics for the first time since 2014. It started with the Juraj Slafkovsky show, part two. The Slovakian forward who lit up the 2022 Olympics as a 17-year-old tournament MVP returned as an NHL star with the Montreal Canadiens and picked up where he left off. Slafkovsky finished with two goals, including the tournament opener, and one assist as Slovakia upset 2022 gold medalist Finland 4-1 in the first game of the preliminary round. Sweden plays Italy later Wednesday. Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena was nearly filled to the capacity of 11,600 by the time Finland's Anton Lundell and Slovakia's Adam Ruzicka lined up for the opening faceoff. The crowd roared in the opening moments when scoring chances materialized and gasped when Slovakia goaltender Samuel Hlavaj stopped a slap shot from point-blank range. "It was awesome," Hlavaj said after his team's win. "It felt like we were playing at the home rink." The fans were loud — and players noticed. "I didn't really expect anything like that (or) close it," Slovakia defenseman and two-time Stanley Cup champion Erik Cernak said. "They were amazing. It felt like we were playing at home. There was so many Slovakian fans and everybody, so I'm glad they came here and supported us and hopefully we gave them a great show." The tournament favorites get underway Thursday. The U.S. faces Latvia, while Canada takes on Czechia. "It's been a long process, but we're very excited to have a game," U.S. general manager Bill Guerin said. "The players are really looking forward to it. They need a game. They want a game. Just really looking forward to getting started." The NHL opted not to participate in the Pyeongchang Olympics of 2018, and pandemic-related scheduling issues prompted the league to skip the Beijing Games in 2022. Swiss star Franjo von Allmen of Switzerland looks like a breakout star of the Milan Cortina Olympics after winning his third gold medal. Von Allmen won the super-G in Bormio on Wednesday to become the third man with three victories in Alpine skiing at one Winter Games. It hadn't been done since 1968.That's not a priority for von Allmen, though. He said he's just staying in the moment. As for history, "maybe in a few years it will be important for me," he added.Von Allmen won the downhill on Saturday and paired with Tanguy Nef to win the team combined Monday.Waiting on goldJordan Stolz won the first of what could be four gold medals at these Winter Olympics in men's 1,000-meter speedskating.The 21-year-old from Wisconsin set an Olympic record with his time but had to wait longer than usual for his victory to be confirmed because another skater was given a do-over after being bumped during his race.When Joep Wennermars of the Netherlands failed to beat Stolz, it was time for the American to take a delayed victory lap.Flying startThe halfpipe three-peat attempt began promisingly for Chloe Kim as she finished first in qualifying while wearing a shoulder brace.After a shoulder injury disrupted her buildup to the Games, Kim credited her muscle memory and a "very well-behaved" shoulder for getting her through to the 12-athlete final on Thursday.Elsewhere in the mountains, Elizabeth Lemley and Jaelin Kauf won gold and silver for the United States in women's freestyle moguls skiing. Host nation Italy picked up its third gold when Andrea Voetter and Marion Oberhofer were the surprise winners in a new event, women's doubles luge.Jens Luraas Oftebro of Norway overtook rivals and plowed through deep, slushy snow for gold in the Nordic combined normal hill event. And in the women's 15-kilometer individual biathlon, Julia Simon became the first Frenchwoman to win gold and teammate Lou Jeanmonnot took silver.