Slovakia celebrated after losing a hockey game at the Olympics 5-3 to Sweden. Here's why

MILAN (AP) — Fans, try to keep up: Sometimes the hockey tournament at the Olympics isn’t just win and move on.

Slovakia was all smiles after losing 5-3 to Sweden on Saturday. That is because Dalibor Dvorsky scored with 39 seconds left to make it a two-goal margin instead of three and it also gave Slovakia the tiebreaker it needed to win the group and advance automatically to the quarterfinals.

“What a game," leading scorer Juraj Slafkovsky and reigning Olympic MVP said with a grin from ear to ear. "I’ve never celebrated a loss. Everything has a first time.”

The only thing needed to clinch first in Group B was Finland beating Italy in regulation a few hours later. An 11-0 Finnish drubbing of the host country left no doubt.

Because Slovakia, Finland and Sweden were tied in the standings and each beat one of the other in regulation, the tiebreaker became goal differential in the games among them. Slovakia was plus-1, Finland even and Sweden minus-1.

Slovakia's staff “knew the math” going into the game, coach Vladimir Orszagh said, but did not say anything to players before puck drop.

“You don’t want to get in front of the guys and be like, ‘Hey, guys, if you lose by the two goals, we are still OK,'” Orszagh said. “No, no, no. We want to win.”

When that was clearly not going to happen trailing by three goals with five minutes left, the message was communicated to look for a goal but also be careful not to give another up because that would have put Slovakia third. Lucas Raymond's second penalty of the game, slashing with 2:30 remaining, put Slovakia on the power play and paved the way for Dvorsky to beat goaltender Jacob Markstrom and set his bench into a wild celebration.

“I didn’t know where the puck was, and all of a sudden I see him celebrating,” said Slafkovsky, who's tied with Canada's Connor McDavid for the tournament scoring lead with seven points apiece. "Then I just started jumping, which is crazy. We were still down two goals.”

Sweden coach Sam Hallam pulled Markstrom for an extra skater in the final seconds up two, an extreme rarity in the NHL and elsewhere but common internationally because of the goal differential tiebreaker.

“It’s not awkward," Hallam said. “It's pretty clear.”

Sweden did not score again, and Dvorsky said it was “the best loss of my life.”

It might've ranked among the worst wins for Sweden, seconds away from the quarterfinals. Instead, it dropped to the seventh seed, has to play an extra game in the qualification round Tuesday and has a considerably more difficult path through the single-elimination knockout round.

“Hockey is not a straightforward sport,” veteran defenseman Victor Hedman said. "It never has been. We’ll take whatever card we’re dealt going into the next game. You got to embrace the opportunity to play in the Olympics.’’

Hallam said the message to his team would be that there are different ways to get to the final. He brought up 2010 in Vancouver when Canada had to play in the qualification round and went on to win gold on Sidney Crosby's overtime goal against the U.S.

“It is what it is,” Hallam said. “Just look ahead. Everything that’s really good never comes easy.”

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Slovakia's Juraj Slafkovsky end of a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between Sweden and Slovakia at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Slovakia's goalkeeper Samuel Hlavaj, left, celebrates with his teammate Slovakia's Juraj Slafkovsky end of a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between Sweden and Slovakia at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Slovakia's Dalibor Dvorsky, right, scores his side's third goal during a preliminary round game of men's ice hockey between Sweden and Slovakia at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Slovakia applaud fans at the end of a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between Sweden and Slovakia at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Kyle Busch grew to expect — even appreciate — the boos.

The driver nicknamed Wild Thing, Outlaw, Rowdy and KFB over his 26-year NASCAR career was more comfortable than anyone might imagine with a checkered flag in one hand and fans jeering all around. He leaned into the villain role as the wins mounted — and boy did they — and even started encouraging his haters, trying to get the howling to a fever pitch before delivering his signature bow.

It was Busch at his best.

And it’s the way he should be remembered.

The two-time Cup Series champion, who won more races than anyone across NASCAR’s three national series, died Thursday at age 41. Tributes poured in, with many echoing the sentiment that racing had lost one of its fiercest competitors.

Busch was that — and so much more.

He was arguably the greatest driver of his generation, displaying unrivaled success. He notched a combined 234 wins — 63 in the top-tier Cup Series and another 171 in NASCAR’s two feeder series, O’Reilly (102) and Trucks (69).

He was a devoted husband, a side that became public when he and wife Samantha chronicled their struggle to become parents and later founded the Bundle of Joy Fund, which is dedicated to advancing access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) care and providing support so others don’t have to navigate infertility alone. The fund has raised more than $2 million and has celebrated the birth of 111 babies.

He was a loving father, who tirelessly tried to teach his 11-year-old son, Brexton, everything he could about racing and even sold his successful Truck Series team to help raise money to support his son's budding career.

He was even one of NASCAR’s most popular — some would say polarizing — drivers thanks to his longtime M&M's sponsorship. Kids flocked to Busch and his colorful No. 18 Toyota at Joe Gibbs Racing.

Older fans might not have been as supportive, and it was evident every time Busch took the checkered flag and responded to booing with a mocking bow.

“This is a devastating loss and one that is hard for the NASCAR community to process. Kyle was a fierce competitor who demanded the very best from himself each time he put on the helmet,” four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon said. “As teammates, I saw firsthand the passion and intensity he brought to the sport every single day.

“He was a champion and a prolific racer who made a tremendous impact on NASCAR and was a lifelong advocate for all forms of motor sports. But beyond the track, he loved his family deeply and was incredibly proud of Samantha, Brexton and Lennix.”

Busch had become sort of a sympathetic figure in recent years, a series champion in the worst slump of his career and a surefire Hall of Famer who never got to celebrate a Daytona 500 victory. Both skids bothered him, no doubt, the first more than the second.

Busch’s last Cup Series victory came at World Wide Technology Raceway in Illinois in 2023. Busch won three of the first 15 races that season, his first with Richard Childress Racing. RCR had built the Next Gen prototype, so the team had an early advantage with the new car.

But once everyone else caught up, Busch and RCR lagged behind. He was winless in his final 105 starts and changed crew chiefs twice this season while searching for a winning combination. The most trying part: Feeling like he was letting Brexton down week after week.

“It’s no secret, right? And seeing my son and his passion that he has; he really is probably my biggest cheerleader,” Busch said at Daytona International Speedway in February. “And he wants to see me run well. He wants to see me win races. He wants to celebrate in victory lane like he sees other drivers’ kids being able to do.

“So there’s nothing more that drives me every single weekend than seeing him see me and be proud of me.”

Busch died after being hospitalized with a severe illness. It came three days before he was to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Busch was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord, North Carolina, on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, several people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details have not been disclosed by Busch’s team or family.

Busch’s death came 11 days after he radioed his crew near the end of a Cup Series race at Watkins Glen and asked a doctor to give him a “shot” when he finished the race. Busch had been struggling with a sinus cold exacerbated by the intense G-forces and elevation changes at the New York road course, broadcasters said.

Busch finished that race eighth. He competed at Dover last weekend and — maybe fittingly — won his last Trucks Series start for Spire. He then finished 17th in the NASCAR All-Star race, his final event.

Busch stormed into the Cup Series in 2005 and won Rookie of the Year honors. He was at Hendrick Motorsports at the time, a job he was fired from to make room for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

His career, though, was as much defined by post-race fights, feuds with other drivers and outlandish behavior as all the trips to victory lane.

Nonetheless, Busch won championships in 2015 and 2019 for Joe Gibbs Racing. His first title came after he missed part of the season while recovering from two broken legs. He was let go from JGR in 2022 after losing his M&M’s sponsor and with the team looking to make room for Ty Gibbs, the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs.

Busch landed at RCR, where he ranked a disappointing 24th in Cup Series points after 12 races. But an indelible image was his final victory. And he celebrated that Truck Series win with two bows amid a scattering of boos.

“You take whatever you can get, man,” Busch said. “You never know when the last one is going to be, so cherish them all — trust me.”

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

FILE - Kyle Busch is introduced during the NASCAR All-Star auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 17, 2026, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton, File, File)

FILE - Kyle Busch drinks champagne after winning the Nationwide series championship and the NASCAR Ford 300 Nationwide series auto race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Terry Renna, File)

FILE - Kyle Busch celebrates his win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' Autism Speaks 400 auto race, Sunday, May 16, 2010, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

FILE - Kyle Busch celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, May 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)

FILE - Kyle Busch waits in his car before practice for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup series Coca-Cola 600 auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Saturday, May 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn, File, File)

FILE - Kyle Busch waits for the start of a NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race Saturday, June 19, 2021, in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)