Slovenia vs Slovakia

After 65 minutes of regulation and overtime could not separate the two Central European rivals, the game went to a shootout where Slovakia's skill proved decisive. Oliver Okuliar, Kristián Pospíšil and Filip Mešar all beat Slovenian goaltender Gašper Krošelj, while Slovenia managed only one conversion from three attempts — a margin that secured the extra point for Slovakia.

The opening frame set the tone for a back-and-forth night. Adam Liška opened the scoring for Slovakia at 7:23, finishing a quick transition play. Slovenia responded through Ken Ograjenšek at 12:41, but Martin Chromiak restored Slovakia's lead before the first intermission, making it 2–1 after 20 minutes.

Slovenia came out flying in the second period. Veteran forward Rok Tičar tied the game at 2–2 just 2:14 into the frame, energising the Slovenian bench. But Slovakia answered emphatically — Filip Mešar and Martin Faško-Rudáš struck in quick succession to push the score to 4–2, putting Slovenia on the ropes.

With less than two minutes remaining in the period, Slovenia clawed one back. Jan Drozg scored on the power play at 18:09, cutting the deficit to 4–3 and setting up a dramatic final period.

Slovakia tried to protect their one-goal lead in the third, but Slovenia threw everything forward. Goaltender Samuel Hlavaj stood tall for Slovakia through most of the period, but with just 29 seconds left on the clock and Krošelj pulled for an extra attacker, Rok Tičar scored his second of the night to tie the game at 4–4 and force overtime.

Overtime solved nothing despite chances at both ends, sending the game to a shootout where Slovakia finally prevailed.

The win kept Slovakia perfect through three games in Group B, sitting second in the standings with eight points — one back of Canada at the top. For Slovenia, the single point from the shootout loss kept them in the mix with six points from five matches, still very much alive in the battle for a quarter-final berth.

Martin Pospíšil (Calgary Flames) logged 17:51 of ice time, registered two shots on goal and went 10-for-15 in the face-off circle for Slovakia.

Slovakia extended their dominance in the head-to-head series against Slovenia, now holding six wins from eight meetings since 2008. The two teams had also met a year earlier at the 2025 Worlds, where Slovakia won 3–1. Slovenia's last victory in the rivalry came at the 2018 Olympic Games in PyeongChang (3–2).

Slovakia continued their march through Group B with momentum on their side, while Slovenia took heart from pushing an undefeated side to the limit. With tight margins defining the group, every point — even the single one from a shootout loss — could prove vital in the race for the knockout stages.