The men’s Olympic hockey tournament reaches its first elimination stage Tuesday as Switzerland, Czechia and Sweden take the ice in the qualification round in Milan. All three teams feature Vegas Golden Knights players hoping to keep their gold medal dreams alive.
Switzerland faces host Italy, a heavy underdog after going 0-3 in group play with a minus-15 goal differential. Knights goaltender Akira Schmid is expected to start for the Swiss, who are -2,632 favorites. Schmid allowed five goals in a 5-1 loss to Canada on Friday but kept the game within reach.
The Swiss may rest 38-year-old veteran Leonardo Genoni for a potential quarterfinal matchup against Finland, meaning Schmid could get the nod again. Switzerland’s path to the quarterfinals is clear: beat Italy, then face Finland.
Czechia opens against Denmark, a team coming off a 4-2 win over Latvia. The Czechs went 1-1-1 in group play, a disappointing run considering their talent. Knights center Tomas Hertl has yet to register a point despite playing on the top line with David Pastrnak and Martin Necas. Necas leads Czechia with five points, and Pastrnak has three. Hertl skated on the third line at Monday’s practice with Ondrej Palat and Ondrej Kase.
Czechia is -391 favorite over Denmark. The winner faces No. 1 seed Canada in the quarterfinals.
Sweden caps the qualification round against Latvia. The Swedes are 2-1-0 but lost 4-1 to Finland on Friday, costing them a first-round bye. Knights defenseman Rasmus Andersson has no points and is minus-2 through two games. Based on Monday’s practice, he may be scratched as Hampus Lindholm skated as the seventh defenseman. Sweden’s winner faces Team USA, the No. 2 seed, in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, the Golden Knights who did not make the Olympic trip will resume practice Friday at City National Arena in Las Vegas, with teammates expected to trickle back in the coming days.
