Slovan Bratislava Win 4-1 at Steel Arena to Lead Semifinal Series 2-1

A devastating 37-second double-strike in the second period sent Slovan Bratislava to a commanding 4-1 victory in Game 3 of the Tipsport Liga playoff semifinal at Steel Arena on April 9, 2026. The win handed Slovan a 2-1 series lead and left Kosice reeling on home ice.

First Period — Nijhoff Opens His Extraliga Account

The match began at full intensity before a capacity crowd of 8,347 in Košice. Slovan broke the deadlock midway through the opening period when Canadian forward Logan Nijhoff capitalised on a power-play opportunity to open his Slovak Extraliga scoring account at 17:00. Liam Pecararo and Ryan Dmowski provided the assists as Slovan converted efficiently while Kosice struggled to clear their zone. The first period ended 0-1 despite both teams generating chances at even strength.

Second Period — Two Goals in 37 Seconds Decide the Contest

Slovan Bratislava struck with a devastating combination early in the second period that effectively settled the tie. At 26:00, Nijhoff collected his second power-play goal of the night from Pecararo and Ryan O'Connor to make it 0-2. Just 37 seconds later, captain Tomáš Marcinko accepted a pass from Vojtech Zeleňák and hammered home a third goal — the Steel Arena fell silent and Kosice coach Dan Ceman immediately pulled starting goaltender Dominik Riečický in favour of Patrik Jurčák.

Košice showed resilience and pulled a goal back at 34:00 through Šimon Jelluš, who deflected the puck past Jurčák with help from Petráš and Deyl, to make it 1-3. The home side pushed for a second but could not breach Slovan's resolute defensive structure or their own two power-play chances.

Third Period — Bakoš Seals It

Slovan Bratislava managed the final period professionally, neutralising Košice's desperate attempts to get back into the game. With Košice pulling their netminder in the closing minutes in search of a two-goal swing, Martin Bakoš finished into the empty net at 58:00 to confirm the 1-4 final score.

What It Means

The result gave Slovan Bratislava a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, with the momentum clearly shifting their way. Ceman later attributed the defeat to "mental errors" and poor line changes that led directly to the two power-play goals against. Logan Nijhoff's debut brace underlined Slovan's depth and set the tone for what was to follow — Slovan Bratislava went on to win Game 4 (2-0) two days later to move within one victory of the Tipsport Liga final.