The incredible reason Slovakia celebrated after losing to Sweden 5-3

Feb 14, 2026 (10:54)

Photo credit: James Lang-Imagn Images

Dalibor Dvorsky’s late goal for Slovakia vs Sweden changed Group B math, and the losing team celebrated like champs.

Sweden beat Slovakia 5-3 on Saturday in Milano Cortina 2026, but the scoreboard did not tell the story.

Sweden came in needing a three-goal win to grab the group edge, so a normal two-goal lead was not enough.

That is why the end looked like a glitch in the sport’s brain. Sweden was up 5-3 and still played like it was down.

Elias Pettersson scored twice, and Lucas Raymond posted 1-2-3 to push Sweden ahead.

Then Slovakia got the one thing it needed: a final-minute strike that tightened the margin and flipped the tiebreak picture.

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Dvorsky buried it with 39 seconds left, making it 5-3 and sending the Slovak bench into pure joy.

Sweden looked stunned, because it won the game but watched the group prize slip away on a single puck.

If you were a Swedish fan, you probably wanted to throw your phone. If you were Slovak, you were laughing and screaming at the same time.

Dvorsky is 20, drafted in 2023, Round 1 by the St. Louis Blues, and he just scored one of the strangest “winning” goals you will ever see in a loss.

Slovakia also got another goal from Juraj Slafkovsky, his third of the tournament, which matters in a short group like this.

The bigger twist was standings math. Both teams sat at 2-0-1 after the horn, and Slovakia’s last goal mattered more than Sweden’s fifth.

At that point, Slovakia could still take Group B if Finland handled Italy in regulation, even after losing on the ice.

It is rare to see a team celebrate a loss, but hockey is ruthless about margins. Saturday proved it, loud and clear.

Previously on HockeyLatest

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FEVRIER 14\|173 ANSWERS The incredible reason Slovakia celebrated after losing to Sweden 5-3 Have you ever seen a losing team celebrate before?
Yes	53	30.6 %
No	120	69.4 %
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