2026 Olympic Men’s Hockey: Top standouts from France vs. Switzerland
If you like physical hockey, you definitely loved this one.
France and Switzerland played a rough-and-tumble game, with both teams looking to cause chaos, physically. In the end, Switzerland caused it on the scoreboard, scoring a pair of goals early to win the game 4-0 to start Group A play.
Both teams will be back in action on Friday, with France taking on Czechia, while Switzerland will face Canada in hopes of pulling off an upset.
Damian Riat scored just 55 seconds into the game on the man advantage, before J.J. Moser tallied one of his own at 3:06. France looked better in the second period, but the Swiss got some excellent goaltending out of Leonardo Genoni and Timo Meier scored en route to the shutout victory.
Here’s a look at the top performers on Thursday:
France
#5 Enzo Guebey, D: France lacks a true puck-moving defenseman, and Guebey, who is a dual citizen between France and Switzerland, only has two assists in 30 games with HC Davos this year. He had three shots in the first period alone, looking quicker and more confident than we’re used to seeing out of him. He’s not a big blueliner, but Guebey moves well and does a solid job of taking away space. His play with the puck was the most impressive element of his game, though.
#14 Stephane Da Costa, C: The former NHL forward seemed to take his team on his back in the second period, getting a couple of excellent looks alongside Alexandre Texier. Da Costa is a skilled forward who couldn’t make it work in Ottawa, but he has built a good career in the KHL as someone who can win faceoffs, power through to the crease and get quality chances on net. We saw all of that today for a French team that just didn’t have anything going for them.
Switzerland
#63 Leonardo Genoni, G: Genoni has often been viewed as one of the better goalies outside of the NHL and he looked great in this one. Genoni wasn’t tested too much early but he had to be excellent in the second period and absolutely delivered. Genoni had a .953 save percentage at the World Championship last spring, registering four shutouts in five victories. This is his third Olympics, and while Akira Schmid might be an NHL goaltender, look for Schmid to be the starter thanks to his poise, athleticism and impressive CV.
#21 Kevin Fiala, LW (Los Angeles Kings): While a lot of his best chances came on the power play, Fiala was exceptionally noticeable for the Swiss. He had five shots, including a couple of excellent chances that nearly beat Antoine Keller in the second period. Fiala loves exploiting open space, especially in the middle of the ice. His ability to find his linemates through traffic is impressive, too. You can always count on Fiala showing up big when he has a chance to represent his country.
#28 Timo Meier, RW (New Jersey Devils): Right spot, right time – twice. Meier had a pair of goals in the final 10 minutes of the game, giving Switzerland a nice cushion down the line. He loves exploiting the area around the net, and while neither goal was too sexy, his hockey sense was clearly on display here. Meier will be leaned on heavily down the stretch.
#85 Sven Andrighetto, LW: Andrighetto nabbed an assist on the opening power-play goal, showing how good of a playmaker he is. He’s not big, but he’s quick, smart and has a great shot release. He was known as more of a goal-scorer before heading to the NHL, but he has become more useful as a dual-threat over time. Andrighetto’s chemistry with Denis Malgin was evident from the opening puck drop, and it was good to see that momentum carry over into this game. Seven shots on net? Yeah, he was excellent.
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