Day two of the men's ice hockey tournament kicked off on Thursday with a match between Switzerland and France. New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier, along with Timo Meier and Jonas Siegenthaler, are big pieces on Team Switzerland.
The Swiss had a 1-0 lead less than one minute into the game, and they were off from there. France had moments where they made it interesting, but they were mostly outplayed.
In the end, it was a 4-0 victory for the Swiss to earn three points in Group A. Playing in a group with Canada and Czechia is an incredibly tough draw, so dominating this game over France was important for them.
Two of the Swiss goals came off the stick of Timo Meier. Both came in the third period, when they needed some insurance to counter a late push by the French.
Hischier and Siegenthaler did not collect points, but they played a key role in shutting down France's attack. Hischier created numerous scoring chances for himself and his teammates in the transition game, but France's goaltender Antoine Keller stood tall.
Devils fans are used to seeing Hischier draw penalties and getting his team on the power play. He drew three in the win over France. Having all of that possession and creating scoring chances via the power play played a key role in the Swiss coming out on top in the fashion that they did.
Next up for the Swiss is a matchup against Team Canada. Going up against Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Sidney Crosby amongst others is going to create an entirely different challenge for this group.
Instead of owning play as they did against the French, focus on the defensive side of the game will be at the forefront of their minds. Hischier's ability to play in all three zones will need to be at its best for them to have a chance. It would help if Meier could keep his offense going.
Roman Josi is the captain of this team, but there is no denying the importance of the New Jersey Devils to the overall success of this Swiss squad. Right now, it's a confident group that plays the right way at all times. That ability gives them a chance to win no matter what.
They've been incredible in recent IIHF World Championships for that reason, and they are looking like a squad that could keep it going in the Olympics.