Team USA narrowly escaped a German upset in a shootout thriller, while Switzerland dominated Austria as the standings begin to fracture during a high-stakes day in Zurich.
Day 6 of the 2026 IIHF World Hockey Championship had a bit of everything. There were complete blowouts, a near upset that almost turned into tournament history, and a massive sigh of relief for Team USA after flirting with disaster against Germany.
The standings are also starting to separate a little now as the preliminary round moves along in Switzerland.
Group A (Zurich)
United States 4, Germany 3 (SO)
- USA Goals: Isaac Howard, Max Sasson, Tommy Novak
- Germany Goals: Moritz Seider, Frederik Tiffels, Marc Michaelis
- Goalie Matchup: Devin Cooley (WIN) vs. Philipp Grubauer (LOSS)
- Game Notes: This was way too close for comfort for the Americans. Germany jumped on them early after Moritz Seider scored just over a minute into the game, and the U.S. spent most of the night chasing things. Matthew Tkachuk made his tournament debut for Team USA after joining the roster late, though he was stopped in the shootout. Ryan Leonard eventually ended it in the sixth round to give the Americans a desperately needed extra point in the standings.
Switzerland 9, Austria 0
- Switzerland Goals: Theo Rochette (2), Nico Hischier (2), Damien Riat (2), Dean Kukan, Calvin Thürkauf, Fabrice Herzog
- Austria Goals: None
- Goalie Matchup: Leonardo Genoni (WIN) vs. David Kickert (LOSS)
- Game Notes: Switzerland has looked like a machine through the opening stretch of this tournament, and Wednesday was probably their most dominant showing yet. Austria entered the game on a three-game winning streak and never really stood a chance once the Swiss got rolling. Rochette, Hischier, and Riat all scored twice, while Sven Andrighetto quietly piled up three assists. Genoni barely had to break a sweat in goal as the hosts stayed perfect with 12 points.
Group B (Fribourg)
Czechia 3, Italy 1
- Czechia Goals: Marek Alscher, Jakub Flek, Dominik Kubalík
- Italy Goals: Nicholas Saracino
- Goalie Matchup: Josef Korenar (WIN) vs. Damian Clara (LOSS)
- Game Notes: Italy nearly pulled off one of the biggest shocks the tournament has seen in years. They carried a 1-0 lead into the third period thanks to a massive performance from Ducks prospect Damian Clara, who was outstanding in net. Czechia completely controlled the shot clock and finished with 58 shots overall, but Clara kept frustrating them until late in the third when Flek finally broke through. Kubalík added the empty-net goal after that one finally slipped away from the Italians.
Sweden 6, Slovenia 0
- Sweden Goals: Lucas Raymond (2), Jacob de la Rose (2), Robert Hägg, Mattias Ekholm
- Slovenia Goals: None
- Goalie Matchup: Filip Gustavsson (WIN) vs. Matija Pintaric (LOSS)
- Game Notes: Sweden looked a lot more like itself after the loss to Czechia. Slovenia spent most of the night trapped in its own zone while Sweden’s blue line controlled the pace from start to finish. Raymond and de la Rose both scored twice, and Gustavsson had a pretty quiet night overall as Tre Kronor stayed firmly in the playoff picture.
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