The Czechia men's ice hockey squad desperately needed a respite after receiving a 5-0 drubbing by Canada on Thursday. Friday's battle versus France was not exactly a skate in the park, as the Czechs had to work hard for its 6-3 victory, but it allowed the European nation to better demonstrate its skills at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. There was one particularly astounding moment in this preliminary matchup.

During a France power play, Czechia somehow secured a 3-on-0 advantage and grabbed a 4-3 lead with just over 30 seconds remaining in the second period, via TSN's Pierre LeBrun. Forward Matej Stransky capped off the mind-boggling, shorthanded heroics with his first goal of the 2026 Games and gifted his team enormous momentum heading into the final period.

The French overcame a 2-0 deficit after scoring three times in the span of six minutes, but they were unable to recover from their massive breakdown and are now 0-2 in Olympics play. Czechia stays alive in Group A with the win and could potentially punch its ticket to the quarterfinals by beating Switzerland on Sunday.

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Martin Necas, who ranks second in points on the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche, put the Czechs on the board about six minutes into the opening period. Boston Bruins star and Czechia flag-bearer David Pastrnak assisted on that goal and also scored the game-tying one in the second. It was not easy, but following some remarkable perseverance, this squad should be skating with much more confidence during the remainder of the Olympics.

France will likely lose sleep over this back-breaking defeat, wondering how it found itself overwhelmed on a power play. Opportunity can descend into catastrophe far too quickly on the world stage.