Czechia scores 4 straight, rallies past France at Milano Cortina Olympics

Team Czechia avoided a scare and got its first win at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, 6-3 against Team France at Santagiulia Arena in Milan on Friday.

Matej Stransky scored the go-ahead, short-handed goal late in the second period after France had scored three quick goals to take the lead.

David Pastrnak, Martin Necas, Michal Kempny and Stransky each had a goal and an assist for Czechia (1-0-1-0) in the Group A preliminary round game of the men's hockey tournament. Radek Faksa and Filip Hronek each had two assists, and Dan Vladar made nine saves.

Czechia was coming off a 5-0 loss to Canada on Thursday.

"We had a great first period of the game, bad second period," Faksa said. "We have to learn for the next game and we have to be better in [the] second. It happened against Canada. The tournament is really short, and we have to be good for a whole 60 minutes."

Louis Boudon had two goals and an assist, and Charles Bertrand had two assists for France (0-0-2-0), which qualified for the tournament for the first time since the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and has not won a game since the 1998 Nagano Olympics. Martin Neckar allowed six goals on 26 shots before being replaced by Julian Junca (12 saves).

GAMECENTER SUMMARY: France-Czechia

France, which is in last place in Group A, lost 4-0 to Switzerland on Thursday.

"Being in the Olympics and you lead 3-2 against the Czechs, it's just unfortunate that we had a little bit of rookie mistakes," France captain Pierre-Edouard Bellemare said. "... That can't happen at that level."

Team Canada and Team Switzerland, which each is 1-0-0-0 in Group A, play each other later Friday (3:10 p.m. ET; Peacock, ICI Télé, CBC Gem, RDS2, CBC).

After allowing three goals in a span of 4:53 in the second to fall behind 3-2, Czechia scored four straight.

"Obviously the first period was really good and then [they score] a power-play goal right at the start and a couple of mistakes," Necas said. "It happens against teams like that. They wait for their chances and once they get it, they score. We just kept battling and I'm glad we took over there."

Pastrnak tied it 3-3 at 13:23, scoring on his second attempt after trying a wraparound.

Stransky put Czechia up 4-3 with a short-handed goal at 19:28 after France was caught in a line change on the power play. Stransky took a stretch pass from Hronek, creating a 3-on-0, before feeding Faksa, who returned the pass, which Stransky buried.

"I gave it to him a little bit slow and I kind of knew he was not going to shoot," Stransky said. "The ice is a little slow at the end of the period, so I gave it to him and I was expecting it back. He gave it back and it was pretty much a tap-in."

Faksa said: "That was a big goal. Great play by Hronek. … I was going to shoot and then I did the fake shot and gave ‘Stenner’ back the pass and I was hoping he would have an empty net and that the goalie would bite on it and he did. Huge goal, end of the period and then we had some confidence going into third period."

WATCH: Men's Hockey Highlights from the Olympic Winter Games

Filip Chlapik gave Czechia a 5-3 lead 1:05 into the third period, scoring after Necas' shot bounced off Neckar and went behind him, where Chlapik put it in.

Roman Cervenka, the Czechia captain, made it 6-3, scoring with a backhand on a breakaway at 1:53. Neckar was replaced by Junca after the goal.

"Obviously we were not happy with the way we played in the first," Bellemare said. "Bunch of passes that we were trying; that's not the way we can play with those guys. Too much talent. … At that level, with that type of talent on the other side, you make those mistakes, you're going to pay the price."

Boudon scored on a rebound on the power play at 1:01 of the second period to pull France within 2-1. He then tied the game 2-2 at 4:04, scoring on a 2-on-1 set up by a turnover he created in the defensive zone.

Hugo Gallet made it 3-2 at 5:54, scoring 1:50 after France had tied it.

"I think that's the moment which [is] going to stay in my mind all my life long," Neckar said. "When Gallet scored his goal, and we were [up] 3-2, I was really thinking, 'Is the dream going to really happen?' At the end of the of the day, no, but I'm really happy how we battle.”

Necas gave Czechia a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 5:56 of the first. He took a cross-ice pass from Pastrnak and one-timed the puck past Neckar.

Kempny increased the lead to 2-0 at 13:04 with a slap shot from inside the blue line.

Each team concludes group play Sunday, with Czechia playing Switzerland (6:10 a.m. ET; Peacock, CNBC, ICI TOU.TV, CBC Gem, SN, RDS) and France facing Canada (10:40 a.m. ET; Peacock, USA, ICI Télé, CBC Gem, RDS2, CBC).

"We're just trying to get better every game," Necas said. "It's a short tournament. Hopefully we get good rest tomorrow and the game against the Swiss."

NOTES: Czechia became the third team to have a short-handed goal stand as the winner in an Olympic game involving NHL players, following Germany (Feb. 9, 2002, against Team Slovakia) and Canada (Feb. 16, 1998, against Team USA; Feb. 13, 1998, against Team Belarus). … The game marked the second time Czechia has had at least four NHL players with multiple points in an Olympic game (Feb. 15, 2002, against Germany; six players). … France has one current NHL player on its roster (Alexandre Texier); Czechia has 11.