2026 Olympic Men’s Hockey: Top standouts as Switzerland eliminates Italy
Switzerland is off to the quarterfinals after its power play helped it cruise to a 3-0 victory over Italy on Tuesday afternoon.
The Swiss will now play Finland at 12:10 PM ET on Wednesday, while the Italians will shift their focus to staying alive at the top division of the men’s World Championship in May.
All three of Switzerland’s goals came on the man advantage. Philipp Kurashev scored just over a minute into the game, while Roman Josi made it 2-0 at 10:25. Italian goaltender Damian Clara played some of his best hockey the rest of the way, keeping the Swiss at bay when playing at 5-on-5.
Nico Hischier would ultimately put the Italians away with the 3-0 goal in the third period, securing Leonardo Genoni’s second shutout in three games.
Here’s a look at the top performers from the qualification round fight:
Italy
Damian Clara, G (Anaheim Ducks): After making 30 saves in the first 40 minutes, and 45 overall, it was clear Clara came to play today. He had a great opening game against Sweden but struggled a bit against Finland. Today, though, he was the only reason the game wasn’t a total blowout as the Swiss came out flying in this one. He was perfect at 5-on-5, allowing the Italians to build up confidence and try and make something happen at the other end. It wasn’t enough, but everyone knows Clara’s name now.
#9 Daniel Mantenuto, C: Mantenuto was a human wrecking ball out there. He kept forcing the issue physically, while also being Italy’s best backchecker. He’s not known as a big-time goal-scorer, but he’s a good support player who plays with a ton of energy. He proved that today – the Swiss were frustrated with him.
Switzerland
#90 Roman Josi, D (Nashville Predators): Josi continues to be Switzerland’s best player. Nobody drives the play like he does, and he’s the team’s best defenseman, no question about it. At times this year, we’ve seen Josi play at a lower level than we’re used to. But wearing the red and white again, Josi is playing with so much confidence. This tournament clearly means something to him. With the Preds in the playoff hunt, Josi could return with all the momentum on his side.
#13 Nico Hischier, C (New Jersey Devils): It took a while, but Hischier finally scored his first goal of the tournament – the 3-0 power-play maker. He assisted both power-play goals, and had five shots in the first two periods alone. Hischier has been so active with the puck all tournament, so it’s remarkable that it took him so long to finally snag one. With three points in this fight, Hischier was my favorite forward today.
#17 Ken Jager, C: As a fourth liner, it’s easy to overlook Jager. But he’s energetic and does a great job of forcing turnovers and jamming the net. I liked him at the last World Championship – his relentless energy is perfect for the fourth line. The team doesn’t need him to score, but he seemed quite involved around the net.
#22 Nino Niederreiter, RW (Winnipeg Jets): El Nino was one of Swiss players who needed to step up the most after an underwhelming round robin. He didn’t score today, but he kept the pressure on with four really good looks during the first two periods. It felt like he played with more urgency and was buzzing all over the ice as a result. Switzerland will still need more out of him tomorrow to keep their tournament alive, but this was his most impactful game with the puck.
#28 Timo Meier, RW (New Jersey Devils): Meier had a pair of assists in this one, showing a high level of patience and confidence on the power play. He’s fully capable of slowing things down when he needs to before making a high-quality passing play. Meier is smart, skilled and having a strong tournament, especially over the past two games.
PRESENTED BY DAILY FACEOFF’S OLYMPIC COVERAGE
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