The Swiss ice hockey team wins its final group game against the Czech Republic 4:3 after overtime. Dean Kukan scores the important goal to secure second place in Group A for Switzerland.
Switzerland's last group game is about creating a good starting position for the knockout phase. To do so, they need a win against the Czech Republic to secure second place in Group A behind Canada.
In the absence of Kevin Fiala, Andrea Glauser and Denis Malgin, the Swiss got off to a furious start. They immediately create good chances, but miss them in the person of Nico Hischier and Philipp Kurashev.
It is an intense, hard-fought game. There is a lot at stake for both teams. The Czech Republic only managed a few offensive actions, but took immediate advantage of one of them in the 16th minute. Janis Moser loses the disc in the middle zone and ex-Ambri striker Filip Chlapik gives the Czechs the lead.
Shortly before the first break, Switzerland is playing with one man less. NHL star David Pastrnak hits the post and in return Moser misses the empty net after a rebound from Czech goalkeeper Dostal.
Quick response to the goal against
At the start of the middle third, Nico Hischier has two great chances alone in front of Dostal. The Czech goalkeeper wins both one-on-one duels. As a result, the interruptions increase and the big chances decrease. The game remained very intense and Switzerland once again conceded too many penalties.
It became dangerous while short-handed in the 35th minute. Pastrnak has the 2:0 for the Czechs on his stick, but Roman Josi intervenes with his tool and saves for the beaten Genoni.
Nati captain Josi shows up two minutes later in the forward movement and scores the equalizer somewhat luckily. His pass bounces off a Czech's skate and into the goal. The Swiss didn't care, as they kept up the pressure and turned the game around in the 39th minute with Timo Meier's powerplay goal.
Dean Kukan becomes the match winner
Switzerland had the game under control for a long time in the 3rd period. Then, in the 47th minute, there was a disagreement between Jäger and Genoni, which led to Radim Simek equalizing.
The Swiss reply was not long in coming. Pius Suter made it 3:2 just 90 seconds later and put the Nati back in front. The lead lasted until the 58th minute. The Czech Republic took full risk and took their goalkeeper off. The risk was rewarded with a late and beautifully played equalizer from Martin Necas.
The Swiss took control of the game in extra time and Dean Kukan scored the winner in the 62nd minute. With the 4:3 win after extra time, Switzerland secured second place in Group A behind Canada and can hope for a weaker opponent in the quarter-final qualifiers on Tuesday.
The ticker for the recap
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Conclusion 3rd period and overtime
Switzerland had the game under control for a long time in the 3rd period. In the 47th minute, there is a disagreement between Jäger and Genoni, which leads to Radim Simek's equalizer.
The Swiss reply was not long in coming. Pius Suter made it 3:2 just 90 seconds later and put the Nati back in front. The lead lasted until the 58th minute. The Czech Republic took full risk and took their goalkeeper off. The risk was rewarded with a late equalizer from Martin Necas.
The Swiss took control of the game in extra time and Dean Kukan scored the winner in the 62nd minute. With the 4:3 victory after extra time, Switzerland secures second place in Group A behind Canada and can hope for a weaker opponent in the quarter-final qualifiers on Tuesday.
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62nd minute
End of the game
Dean Kukan shoots Switzerland to a 4-3 win after overtime and secures second place in Group A for the Nati.
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62nd minute
Goal for Switzerland, 4:3 by Dean Kukan
The decider! Dean Kukan runs into the Czech zone on the left and scores with a powerful wrist shot into the left crossbar.
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62nd minute
Kurashev runs into the opponent's zone on the left and moves to the center. He plays the pass to the right post instead of finishing.
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61st minute
Start of overtime
Overtime in three-on-three is underway!
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60th minute
End of 3rd period
No winner after 60 minutes - 3:3 between Switzerland and the Czech Republic, it goes into overtime.
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60th minute
The momentum is clearly with the Czechs. Can Switzerland save themselves in overtime?
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58th minute
Goal for the Czech Republic, 3:3 by Martin Necas
Now the Czechs score after all. Riat fails to clear the disk at his own blue line and Hronek takes over on the right wing. He plays the pass across the slot to Martin Necas, who nets at the left post. Genoni is too late.
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58th minute
Cervenka is played in at the right post and bangs the puck against the net. Fora is back on the ice.
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57th minute
Czech Republic timeout
The Czech Republic take their timeout with just under 3 minutes left in regulation time. Dostal immediately takes a seat on the bench and makes way for an extra outfield player.
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57th minute
The disk is in the goal behind Genoni, but the referee waves it off immediately. The goal does not count because of goalkeeper obstruction. Pastrnak drives over Genoni on a shot from the blue line, only then does the disk bounce off a Swiss player into the goal. The Czechs waive a coach's challenge and accept the decision.
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56th minute
2-minute penalty against Michael Fora (Switzerland)
Unnecessary penalty by Fora. He brings Sedlak down with a leg and has to go to the penalty bench for 2 minutes.
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55th minute
It's almost only the Czech Republic playing. The Swiss are busy defending and lurking on the counterattack. A pass forward from Kurashev doesn't reach Meier.
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54th minute
The Czech Republic increase the pressure and Switzerland pull back a little. However, the Swiss have everything under control in their own zone so far.
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52nd minute
Monster block from Sven Andrighetto! He takes a shot from the blue line and is hit on the leg. He bites his teeth and carries on. The team spirit is alive in the Swiss team.
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51st minute
The Swiss also have a narrow lead in the shot ratio at 25:23. But what counts much more is what the scoreboard shows, and the Swiss lead 3:2.
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50th minute
What a reaction from the Swiss after the Czechs equalized. Will they hold on to the lead now?
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49th minute
Goal for Switzerland, 3:2 by Pius Suter
Immediate reply! Meier goes for goal from the right. Moser puts it back in the slot and Pius Suter scores from behind the net to give Switzerland the lead again.
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47th minute
Goal for the Czech Republic, 2:2 by Radim Simek
Jäger gets in the way of Genoni's save and the disc remains in the Czech ranks. It comes back to Genoni on a second attempt, who lets it bounce forward and can't do anything about Radim Simek's follow-up shot.
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46th minute
Switzerland are very stable at the back. They remain very dangerous going forward. Hischier makes his way down the right wing, drives through behind the goal and serves Meier at the left post. Dostal closes down the near corner and saves the direct shot.
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45th minute
Knak gets to the disc in the neutral zone and makes his way through the middle. He fires a high wrist shot that causes Dostal to stumble briefly. The goalkeeper makes the save.
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43rd minute
Switzerland make a concentrated impression in these first minutes of the final third.
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41st minute
Start of 3rd period
The 3rd period is underway!
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Conclusion 2nd period
At the start of the second period, Nico Hischier has two great chances alone in front of Dostal. The Czech goalkeeper wins both one-on-one duels. As a result, the interruptions increase and the big chances decrease. The game remained very intense and Switzerland once again conceded too many penalties.
It became dangerous while short-handed in the 35th minute. Pastrnak has the 2:0 for the Czechs on his stick, but Roman Josi intervenes with his tool and saves for the beaten Genoni.
Nati captain Josi shows up two minutes later in the forward movement and scores the equalizer somewhat luckily. His pass bounces off a Czech's skate and into the goal. The Swiss didn't care, as they kept up the pressure and turned the game around in the 39th minute with Timo Meier's powerplay goal.
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40th minute
End of 2nd period
Switzerland turns the game around and leads 2:1 against the Czech Republic after the second period.
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39th minute
Goal for Switzerland, 2:1 by Timo Meier
It's Timo Time! Switzerland goes on the power play and Josi shoots from the blue line on goal. Dostal lets it bounce back to the front and Timo Meier dusts it off. Game turned around!
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39th minute
2-minute penalty against Roman Cervenka (Czech Republic)
Cervenka brings Bertschy down with a leg in the crease fight. He has to go to the penalty bench for 2 minutes.
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37th minute
Goal for Switzerland, 1:1 by Roman Josi
The equalizer! Meier wins the disc in the neutral zone and Moser launches Roman Josi down the right wing. The captain tries to play the puck back to Moser, but hits the skate of a Czech in the slot and the puck bounces into the goal.
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36th minute
The Czech Republic increase the pressure again in the final seconds of the powerplay. Genoni deflects a shot from the right. Siegenthaler is back on the ice.
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35th minute
He's already celebrating! The disk gets stuck in the slot. Josi is kneeling on the ground when Pastrnak comes rushing in and shoots the puck over with his backhand - but not by choice. Josi gets his stick into the path of the shot just in time.
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35th minute
The Czech Republic starts the power play and the puck comes into the left face-off circle, where Stransky shoots directly. Genoni has a clear view and saves with his catching hand.
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34th minute
2-minute penalty against Jonas Siegenthaler (Switzerland)
Siegenthaler hits Sedlak in the face with his elbow after a clean check. He has to go to the cool box for 2 minutes.
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32nd minute
After more than a minute of overtime, Switzerland are able to establish themselves. Hischier passes to Meier in the slot, but he deflects the shot to the left of the goal. Necas is back on the ice.
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31st minute
There is still no sign of a Swiss power play. The Czech Republic works everything away.
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30th minute
2-minute penalty against Martin Necas (Czech Republic)
Necas holds Josi back by the jersey and has to go to the penalty bench for 2 minutes.
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28th minute
Many interruptions in this phase, the flow of the game has been lost somewhat in the last few minutes. The game mainly takes place between the two zones.
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26th minute
Now Genoni is needed again. Sedlak captures the disc behind the baseline in the Swiss zone and plays the pass into the slot. Cervenka forgets and shoots at Genoni from point-blank range.
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24th minute
Just as Kempny returns from the penalty box, Kurashev takes a shot from the right wing. His wrist shot flies over the box of the Czechs.
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23rd minute
Another private duel between Hischier and Dostal - with the Czech goalkeeper getting the better of it again. Andrighetto sends the New Jersey Devils forward on his way, but he shoots at Dostal again.
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22nd minute
2-minute penalty against Michal Kempny (Czech Republic)
First overtime game for Switzerland. Kempny hooks Meier and is sent to the penalty bench for 2 minutes.
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22nd minute
Hischier and Kurashev play a one-two and Hischier runs alone towards Dostal. The goalkeeper stands still for a long time and is shot by the Swiss.
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21st minute
Start of 2nd period
The middle period continues!
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Conclusion 1st period
Switzerland's last group game is all about creating a good starting position for the knockout phase. To do so, they need a win against the Czech Republic to secure second place in Group A behind Canada.
In the absence of Kevin Fiala, Andrea Glauser and Denis Malgin, the Swiss got off to a furious start. They immediately create good chances, but miss them in the person of Nico Hischier and Philipp Kurashev.
It is an intense, hard-fought game. There is a lot at stake for both teams. The Czech Republic only managed a few offensive actions, but took immediate advantage of one of them in the 16th minute. Janis Moser lost the disc in the middle zone and ex-Ambri striker Filip Chlapik shot the Czechs into the lead.
Shortly before the first break, Switzerland is playing with one man less. NHL star David Pastrnak hits the post and in return Moser misses the empty net after a rebound from Czech goalkeeper Dostal.
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20th minute
End of 1st period
The Czech Republic leads 1:0 against Switzerland after 20 minutes.
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20th minute
Great chance for the Swiss! Moser bursts through and comes close to equalizing while short-handed. Dostal lets his shot rebound and the Swiss player fails to hit the empty goal with the follow-up shot.
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19th minute
The disc is running in the Czech ranks. Pastrnak hammers it against the right post with a direct shot from the left face-off circle.
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18th minute
2-minute penalty against Jonas Siegenthaler (Switzerland)
Siegenthaler shoots at Necas and the Czech is the quickest to react. He could skate alone towards Genoni, but is stopped by Siegenthaler in violation of the rules. The Swiss player is sent to the penalty box for 2 minutes.
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18th minute
The Czech Republic tries to follow up immediately. Pastrnak is played in the slot, but shoots well over the goal from a few meters.
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17th minute
Suter is also partly to blame for the goal conceded. He doesn't backcheck consistently enough to help Moser. How do the Swiss react?
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16th minute
Goal for the Czech Republic, 0:1 by Filip Chlapik
Moser can't clear the ball in the neutral zone and it quickly goes the other way. Necas starts a two-on-one and plays the pass over to Filip Chlapik, who doesn't need to be asked twice. Genoni shifts too late.
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15th minute
Kurashev and Meier lose the disc in their own zone and it immediately becomes dangerous. Genoni fends off a slapshot from the left wing with his right pad.
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13th minute
The Swiss are creating more and more chances. Josi sees Suter standing completely free in front of the goal and simply sends the puck in that direction. Suter can't deflect it and Dostal makes the save.
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12th minute
Knak wins the puck in the opponent's zone with a powerful check and serves Kukan at the blue line. The defender's wrist shot is deflected several times and lands dangerously in front of Dostal. The goalkeeper saves with his right pad.
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11th minute
The Swiss still have a score to settle with the Czechs from the 2024 World Cup, when they were narrowly beaten. 15 players from the Czech team from back then are back today.
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9th minute
Shortly before the end of the overtime, the disc is running in the Czech ranks. Cervenka has a free shot from the right face-off circle, but only hits Genoni's catching hand. Riat is back on the ice.
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8th minute
One minute of the penalty against Riat has already elapsed. Genoni has not had to intervene seriously once so far.
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7th minute
2-minute penalty against Damien Riat (Switzerland)
Riat hits Hertl in the face with his stick and has to go to the penalty bench for 2 minutes.
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5th minute
The Swiss continue to put a lot of pressure forward. Hischier just misses a pass from behind the baseline in the slot. However, he recovers the disc and plays it behind the goal again. Kurashev comes out with the puck on his stick and skates alone into the slot. He fails with a backhand against Dostal.
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4th minute
Thürkauf maintains possession of the puck on the right wing and plays a great cross-ice pass to Josi. He plays the sharp pass to the right post, where Bertschy just misses.
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3rd minute
Switzerland play aggressive forechecking and win the puck in their opponents' zone for the first time. However, Andrighetto is unable to find an outlet and has to pass the puck back.
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2nd minute
The intensity is already very high in these first few minutes. It's going to be a tough battle.
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1st minute
For the first time at this tournament, the Swiss fans are not outnumbered in the stands. The Czech fans are very numerous in Milan.
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1st minute
Start of the match
The game is underway!
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Czech Republic line-up
Lukas Dostal is in goal for the Czech Republic. There is only one change compared to the win against France: David Tomasek replaces EV Zug striker Dominik Kubalik.
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Swiss line-up
Leonardo Genoni is back between the posts today. Due to injuries, Switzerland will play with only twelve forwards. Simon Knak comes in for Kevin Fiala and Sandro Schmid takes the place of Denis Malgin. Tim Berni replaces Andrea Glauser.
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Direct duels
The last time the two teams met at the Olympics was in Beijing 2022. The Czech Republic won the duel in the group stage, Switzerland the one in the quarter-final qualification. Who will win today?
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Referee
Michael Campbell from Canada and Chris Rooney from the USA will referee the match at the Arena Santagiulia in Milan. The two head referees will be assisted by linesmen Onni Hautamaki from Finland and Libor Suchanek from the Czech Republic.
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Czech Republic's form
The Czechs started the Olympic tournament with a 5-0 defeat against Canada. They had more trouble than expected in their second game against France. They let a 2:0 lead slip away and even fell 3:2 behind. An improved performance after half-time brought the Czechs victory in the end. What will they show against Switzerland today?
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Switzerland's form
It was the big shock in the game against Canada: Kevin Fiala was ruled out with a serious lower leg injury shortly before the end. The Los Angeles Kings forward has since undergone successful surgery and is recovering. His absence is a bitter loss for the Swiss national team. As at the last World Championship, when Nico Hischier was injured, another key player is out. On top of that, Andrea Glauser and Denis Malgin are also injured. How will the team react to these absences?
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Starting position
Canada is already the winner of Group A. Switzerland will almost certainly have to qualify for the quarter-finals, even if they win against the Czech Republic today and maintain second place. After all, with yesterday's resounding victory against Italy, Finland is almost guaranteed a ticket to the quarter-finals as the best second-placed team in the group. Switzerland would have to win 11-0 today to oust the Finns. With a win, a weaker opponent would be waiting in the quarter-final qualification.
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Hello ...
... and welcome to the Swiss ice hockey team's third group game at the Olympic Games in Milano Cortina. Patrick Fischer's team is up against the Czech Republic for second place in Group A. Will Switzerland put themselves in a good position for the knockout phase?
