Czech Republic vs. Switzerland – Live Stream, Tips and Olympic Hockey Match Preview
Two Group C teams with 1-1 records will look to find that crucial second victory this evening, as Team Switzerland takes on the Czech Republic.
The game is scheduled to start at 17:00 GMT.
In the UK, the game airs live on BBC’s interactive service, while live coverage is available online with bet365.
Get Czech Republic vs. Switzerland coverage here:
Preview:
Each team has a victory over Latvia and a loss to Sweden, which makes Saturday’s group-stage closer absolutely crucial in terms of knock-out round seeding.
The Swiss were never going to be the favorites in Group C, but a respectable performance in a 1-0 loss to group leader Sweden demonstrated that they are not a team to be taken lightly in the tournament. Preceding that game was a hard-earned 1-0 win over lowly Latvia, a game which was marked by Swiss offensive dominance, and the outstanding play of the Latvian goaltender in preventing a blow-out.
The key player on Team Switzerland is, of course, goaltender Jonas Hiller. And why not? He shut out the Latvians on Thursday, making 22 saves in the victory, and is a pillar of strength between the pipes. The Swiss are a team that is built from the net out, with goaltending and a strong defensive corps off-setting what is considered to be a weak offensive makeup. Hiller, as the number one goaltender on the team, can be, and needs to be, the catalyst in a victory for his team. Bar the door like you did against Latvia, you’re going to win; let in any more than 2 or 3 goals though, and you are seriously taxing an offense that has yet to prove a single thing over the course of two games.
One guy the Swiss would love to get going on offense is NHL forward Nino Niederreiter, who has looked absolutely lost in his first taste of Olympic action. The 22 year old Niederreiter has what is undoubtedly the best pedigree of any Swiss forward, but has yet to demonstrate the offensive prowess that has made him a strong performer for the Minnesota Wild this season. Against the Czechs, in the biggest game for the Swiss thusfar in the tournament, it would be fantastic for the Swiss if he were able to emerge from his early-Games torpor. He is currently sitting on the team’s third line, but gets significant first-unit powerplay time, and the Swiss coaching staff is just begging to vault him up the line-up thanks to more consistent form.
The Czechs managed to hold off the pesky Latvians on Friday, coming out on the winning end of a 4-2 score line. This was thanks in large part to the stellar play of 42 year old Jaromir Jagr, who, as Latvian head coach Ted Nolan said in his post game press conference, “Is like a fine wine. He keeps getting better with age”
Jagr is the beating heart of the Czech team, and is the only key contributor remaining from the glory years of Gold in Nagano 1998. His power play goal in the first period of the Latvia game was his second of the tournament, and demonstrated his offensive prowess on a line with New Jersey Devil teammate Patrik Elias. Jagr is getting heavy minutes for the Czechs, and if they are to be at all considered a threat to the top-end teams of this tournament, they desperately need him to continue his strong run of form through to the tournament’s conclusion.
The Czechs are expected to give goaltender Ondrej Pavelec another start on Saturday, after what was considered a strong performance in the win over Latvia on Friday. The team has tried all three of the goaltenders it brought to Sochi, but seems to have settled on Pavelec and KHL’er Alexander Salak as the duo to carry forward. Though neither was dominant in their respective performances (Salak gave up 1 goal on 15 shots in relief on Wednesday, Pavelec 2 in 20), they may not need to be against the pop-gun offense of the Swiss.
Both teams know the gravity of the situation, as neither would crave the Qualification playoff-round match-up with a high seed that would result from a loss. Though neither team is likely to catch the Swedes (barring an epic collapse against Latvia), a 2C seed would likely be enough to get them a favorable first round match-up next week.
The Czechs are, on the whole, the more talented team, but there is something to be said for structure. The Swiss look a mightily disciplined, conscious defensive team in their first two contests, and if they are able to carry that form over to Saturday’s contest, it would do wonders in strengthening their chances for that all-important victory. They need to score goals, yes, but with their goaltending and defense playing at the level it currently is, they may only need a few to give themselves the upper hand against a hot-and-cold Czech group.
