Brilliantly qualified for the quarter-finals of the World Championship, Switzerland faces the United States on Thursday evening (7:20 p.m.) in Helsinki.
Favorite, Patrick Fischer’s troupe must invoke the spirit of Copenhagen.
Here is the national team arriving where everyone expected to find them before the tournament even started. But here is also the national team facing a new challenge. Of those who decide on a failed or successful tournament. Because the counters are reset. Because the twenty points accumulated during the first seven victories are no longer worth much. Like when we approach the play-offs after the regular season.
Since their magnificent silver medal in Copenhagen in 2018, Switzerland have experienced three disappointments in the quarter-finals of major events. At the World Cup in Kosice in 2019 with these four tenths too many which allowed Canada to equalize and then win in overtime. At the World Cup in Riga in 2021 against a tenacious Germany which had finally won on penalties. And in Beijing last February against Finland at the Olympics.
A fourth failure at this stage of the competition would be inappropriate. Especially after a well-controlled preliminary round. Even if the Americans are formidable adversaries, this young team from the United States should not scare the Swiss. Respect yes, fear no.
We don’t change the past
The coach’s speech after Wednesday’s optional training was that of a man who doesn’t want to lose any momentum before the real battle: ‘Today was good to rest in order to be 100% on Thursday against the United States. Tomorrow we will do our routine and we will go on the ice for a practice. Then we will analyze the American video game. It will be a new match, where we will have to be emotionally calm.’
Among the players who have experienced the last three campaigns and therefore the last three failures, there are only two outfield players in addition to Reto Berra and Leonardo Genoni. They are Christoph Bertschy and Andres Ambühl. Should we see in this new wave of players, rather young, a way to put people who will not have these bad memories in mind? ‘No, I think we had to change something after the Olympics, said the coach. That’s why it’s a different team, but it’s clear that we had painful defeats. I’ve always said you can’t change the past. We have to learn from that and do everything to win on Thursday.’
After the missed Olympics in 2018, Switzerland shone on the ice of Copenhagen during the World Cup. Four years later and after this elimination in the quarter-finals against Finland, Switzerland once again has the opportunity to conquer something after a winter tournament below its expectations. ‘If I’m superstitious? No, these are numbers, that’s all, we can’t compare, replies the Zugois. It’s another team, another situation. We must take the day as it comes. We want to go to Tampere and we know it won’t be easy. But I’m not going to remember what happened four years ago.’
Americans short in defense
Fourth in their group, the Americans have not caused a sensation so far. But they are still there for the quarter-finals and everyone knows that their motivation is increased tenfold in the knockout matches. Composed of honest NHL players and a few young talents, this US formation received the reinforcement of two attackers from Minnesota, Ryan Hartman (34 goals in 82 matches) and Matt Boldy (39 points in 47 games on the same line as Kevin Fiala).
‘The Hartman-Boldy-Galchenyuk line is clearly the most dangerous, you will have to be ready, warns Patrick Fischer. On the other hand, we must take advantage of the fact that the Americans have been playing with only five defenders for three games. We have to attack them for sixty minutes.’
The United States lost defenders Nick Blankenburg and Jon Merrill to injury. With only five professional backs, the staff had to tinker. And send some players, including Kurashev’s Chicago teammate Seth Jones, more than thirty minutes on the ice. It’s up to the Swiss to use this potential fatigue to crack the Americans.
Note that in case of victory, the players of Patrick Fischer will be opposed to the team which qualified the least well among the three remaining nations. This means that in the event of qualification for the semi-finals, Switzerland would avoid Finland and Sweden.
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