Finland Edge Germany 3-1 in Tournament Opener

Jesse Puljujärvi scored the decisive third-period goal as Finland opened the 2026 IIHF World Championship with a 3-1 win over Germany on Friday. The Finnish power play clicked twice at Zürich's Swiss Life Arena.

Anton Lundell stepped up with a goal and an assist, and Aatu Räty added one. Finnish captain Aleksander Barkov collected an assist in his first official game since his Florida Panthers beat Edmonton for the 2025 Stanley Cup. Teuvo Teräväinen had a pair of helpers. Stefan Loibl scored Germany's only goal.

Playing their well-practiced defence-first style, the Finns outshot Germany 24-17. Germany's inability to convert during Finland's second-period parade to the penalty box proved decisive.

Barkov's return was a key storyline. The 30-year-old superstar, who represented Finland at age 18 at the 2014 Olympics, had hoped to play in Milan, but sat out the entire season after knee surgery. The two-time Cup champion and three-time Selke Trophy winner is back to lead Finland in Switzerland. Coach Antti Pennanen lined Barkov up alongside Teräväinen and Genève-Servette winger Sakari Manninen, who scored the overtime winner against Canada when Finland captured home-ice gold in 2022 in Tampere. Manninen, 34, last played at the Worlds in 2023.

Justus Annunen, Nashville Predators backup to Olympic starter Juuse Saros, made his winning World Championship debut with 16 saves. German NHL veteran Philipp Grubauer had 21 saves.

Finland struck first on the power play at 8:33. From the high slot, Lundell took a feed from Teräväinen and beat Grubauer high with the German keeper down in the butterfly. Teräväinen tied for the tournament lead with 10 assists last year and once set a single-game Worlds record with six assists against Slovenia.

The second period brought a wild stretch. In Germany's end, Moritz Seider pivoted with lightning speed to sweep the puck off the goal line after a scramble. Finland was called for too many men moments later, but Manninen denied the best chance shorthanded on a partial breakaway. Germany squandered another power play after Nikolas Matinpalo slashed the onrushing Dominik Kahun, who slid into the end boards but stayed in the game.

Puljujärvi doubled the lead on the power play at 3:05 of the third. Teräväinen fired a cross-ice pass that Barkov let slide through his legs at the crease, and Puljujärvi buried it on Grubauer's glove side. The former NHLer, in his third Worlds, plays alongside Manninen in Geneva.

Loibl pulled one back at 8:09, stepping in off the point and blasting a feed from Leon Gawanke past Annunen.

Räty answered with his first career World Championship goal at 15:25. Capitalizing on a Leon Hüttl turnover, Saku Mäenalanen picked the puck up and set up the Vancouver Canucks forward in the slot. German coach Harald Kreis pulled Grubauer in the dying moments, but Finland held on.

Finland have now won four straight World Championship games against Germany, staying perfect in the 2020s. The last meeting in 2023 saw Finland win 4-3 on Mikko Lehtonen's third-period goal in Tampere. Germany's best recent showing came in 2021, losing 2-1 in both the preliminary round and the semifinals to the eventual silver medalists. Seider was named Best Defenceman and a tournament all-star that year.

Finland are back in action Saturday against Hungary at Swiss Life Arena. Germany have the day off before facing Latvia on Sunday.