WC: 2015 — Team Switzerland

[swissexpert]

So it's Scherwey or Nino, I'm fine with that.

 

[jonas2244]

It seems as Loeffel is on his way to Prague.

 

[jonas2244]

Confirmed, but he only would play if there is another injury of a defender.

France wins vs. Austria. So Switzerland can pretty much secure the spot in the quarters with a win tomorrow.

 

[duga]

some thoughts:

- Helbling is at the tournament, because Switzerland lacks strenght on D side since Bezina and Forster are out of NT and with Sbisa and Furrer missing. as been mentioned before he did a good job till now, but I do share the worries of others when they play stronger opponents, his puckskills are just terrifying...
Christian Marti is in the pipeline for that job in future. It's a pitty he's injured, but no surprise there's interest in him from NA.

- Geering, after beeing the best swiss D in NLA for 3years, finally has a chance to show what he's capable of on international Level. And instantly becomes the best D on the team behind the NHL-Players. Hanlons decision to ice him as 7th D against France really puzzled me.

- with the absence of Weber and Diaz it was quite a risky plan of Hanlon to go with only 1 right-shooting D (Dubois), who's capable of playing PPs. While I think it's okay to play with 2 left-shooting Ds in 5vs.5 scenarios, it really lessen the options in PP-situations... after the bizzare omission of Loeffel (after Weber declined) I was convinced he takes Brunner back to the blueline and combines the righties Dubois/Brunner with the lefties Streit/Josi for the PP. Even with 2 world-class PP-Ds you can see how uncomfortable they feel on the ice together as Lefties. With Dubois' injury, the risk didn't pay off, and now he has to fly in Loeffel from Holidays...

-Genoni finally shows solid goaltending on international niveau. I'm eager to see what he's capable of against higher shooting-quality, where he has to show reflexes not only strong positioning. or if he falls apart once again. however, it seemed as if Gerber was in against France/Germany, very very solid.

- As some long-time members in here already said: no reason to blame Brunner for anything. Beside Wick and Ambühl, and a bit lesser Hollenstein and Fiala, he's the only swiss capable of creating something on attack single-handedly and out of nothing. and is by far the best to bring this skills on the scoresheet. he'll always be a physically weak player, and bit streaky, he coughs up a puck once in a while in a stupid situation. but as long as he gives an 100%-effort, he's the best swiss attacker. even the penalty, while it looked a bit reckless, it's the way he plays them, and it helps selling it to the goalkeeper.

- With the absence of Moser and Nino (they are really missing there physicality), Walker should get a more prominent role IMO. When the swiss were struggling with the grit of the Austrians, I couldn't believe, Hanlon let him on the bench.
he got a unique skill-set:He's big, he's strong, he's fast, he has a rocket shot (not always accurate though). He got good 1-on-1 skills, once he got the puck under control. Of course, he sometimes doesn't read the plays very good, his decision-making with the puck is not always brilliant, he got problems to recieve pucks properly once in awhile., and worst... he constantly underestimates himself...

 

[Jon Riley]

some thoughts:

- Helbling is at the tournament, because Switzerland lacks strenght on D side since Bezina and Forster are out of NT and with Sbisa and Furrer missing. as been mentioned before he did a good job till now, but I do share the worries of others when they play stronger opponents, his puckskills are just terrifying...
Christian Marti is in the pipeline for that job in future. It's a pitty he's injured, but no surprise there's interest in him from NA.

- Geering, after beeing the best swiss D in NLA for 3years, finally has a chance to show what he's capable of on international Level. And instantly becomes the best D on the team behind the NHL-Players. Hanlons decision to ice him as 7th D against France really puzzled me.

- with the absence of Weber and Diaz it was quite a risky plan of Hanlon to go with only 1 right-shooting D (Dubois), who's capable of playing PPs. While I think it's okay to play with 2 left-shooting Ds in 5vs.5 scenarios, it really lessen the options in PP-situations... after the bizzare omission of Loeffel (after Weber declined) I was convinced he takes Brunner back to the blueline and combines the righties Dubois/Brunner with the lefties Streit/Josi for the PP. Even with 2 world-class PP-Ds you can see how uncomfortable they feel on the ice together as Lefties. With Dubois' injury, the risk didn't pay off, and now he has to fly in Loeffel from Holidays...

-Genoni finally shows solid goaltending on international niveau. I'm eager to see what he's capable of against higher shooting-quality, where he has to show reflexes not only strong positioning. or if he falls apart once again. however, it seemed as if Gerber was in against France/Germany, very very solid.

- As some long-time members in here already said: no reason to blame Brunner for anything. Beside Wick and Ambühl, and a bit lesser Hollenstein and Fiala, he's the only swiss capable of creating something on attack single-handedly and out of nothing. and is by far the best to bring this skills on the scoresheet. he'll always be a physically weak player, and bit streaky, he coughs up a puck once in a while in a stupid situation. but as long as he gives an 100%-effort, he's the best swiss attacker. even the penalty, while it looked a bit reckless, it's the way he plays them, and it helps selling it to the goalkeeper.

- With the absence of Moser and Nino (they are really missing there physicality), Walker should get a more prominent role IMO. When the swiss were struggling with the grit of the Austrians, I couldn't believe, Hanlon let him on the bench.
he got a unique skill-set:He's big, he's strong, he's fast, he has a rocket shot (not always accurate though). He got good 1-on-1 skills, once he got the puck under control. Of course, he sometimes doesn't read the plays very good, his decision-making with the puck is not always brilliant, he got problems to recieve pucks properly once in awhile., and worst... he constantly underestimates himself...

your thoughts are perfect. The lack of muscles in front of the net and this pathetic power play are the two big problems here. Not so much to do about the muscles (except using Walker better) but the pp is completely Hanlon's fault. Every pp is awkward and crooked, so not effective at all.

 

[jonas2244]

Today the PP was much better (may also be related to a poor PK of Latvia), but they just missed the net.

 

[jonas2244]

New lines for tomorrow:

Brunner - Almond - Fiala
Suri - Romy - Hollenstein
Bieber - Ambühl - Bodenmann
Walker - Trachsler - Schäppi
Wieser

PP:
Josi - Blum
Brunner - Walker - Fiala

Streit - Grossmann
Suri - Ambühl - Hollenstein

And Nino won't come, as I expected.

 

[duga]

New lines for tomorrow:

Brunner - Almond - Fiala
Suri - Romy - Hollenstein
Bieber - Ambühl - Bodenmann
Walker - Trachsler - Schäppi
Wieser

PP:
Josi - Blum
Brunner - Walker - Fiala

Streit - Grossmann
Suri - Ambühl - Hollenstein

And Nino won't come, as I expected.

Finally he changes some stuff, but I'm still not convinced...

the worse Fiala plays the more he relies on him? ( I'm ok with him in PP1 though) Who gonna win some puckbattles along the boards with these 2 wings? alot of skill, but a lot of missing strengh too.

I think it's a step forward with the PP... but I 'd still prefer a Streit/Josi - Brunner combo at the blueline... with Brunner being further back, you need a right-shot at the left half-boards to replace him. (-->Ambühl). Put Walker in front of the net, and Fiala/Hollenstein at the right side. And let's hope that either Walker or Ambühl win a FO once in a while... Thoughts?

Nino certainly would have helped, but as you've written his refusal was well expected... and so it keeps open the option of sloting in Loeffel, which I'm fine with.


and oh man, do I miss the forechecking-system of the Simpson-era...

it still puzzles me, that the SEHV was able to keep Krueger way over his expiry date, just to get rid of an elite coach like Simpson way too early...

 

[duga]

your thoughts are perfect. The lack of muscles in front of the net and this pathetic power play are the two big problems here. Not so much to do about the muscles (except using Walker better) but the pp is completely Hanlon's fault. Every pp is awkward and crooked, so not effective at all.

thx, so let's hope his juggling does some good!

 

[SwissLeaf]

Why doesn't Hanlon try to put Helbling in front of the net on the PP?

 

[doug88]

I don't get why Schaeppi is playing over Scherwey.. This is nonsense.

 

[jonas2244]

Because Schäppi is one of the best PK-players we have in Switzerland.

I'd replace Wieser with Scherwey, but Hanlon probably wants to see if Kukan is ready before burning the last spot.

 

[Richi]

Brunner - Almond - Fiala

I don´t think this line will be together for more than 5 shifts.


Honestly, I´m already sick and tired of Hanlon for several reasons:

1. The games of the NT leading up to the World Cup are completly meainingless. No system is implemented, but even the third liners of the SCRJ get a call so that they can "showcase" themselves...

2. I´ve rarely seen a worse PP. And this with two of the absolut best PP-Quarterbacks of the NHL.

3.The fourth line gets like 2-3 minutes a game. We could hire Torts instead.

4. Hanlosn seems to make the line combinations by rolling a dice. I mean Brunner-Almond-Fiala against Sweden? Really?

5. There are too few players from Davos (as much as I hate them, but we could use the intensity of some) and ZSC. Apart from Genoni, they are pretty much just used as fill-in material for the third and fourth lines.

The players that actually matter in Hanlons system have pretty much all failed during the playoffs. Talent does not guarantee wins, look at the Oilers.

6. How many "Too many men"-Penalties have there been up to this point? 5?

I really don't think that this team will make it to the next round and that Hanlon will coach in 2016. /rant

I'd like to be proven wrong though

 

[jonas2244]

I don´t think this line will be together for more than 5 shifts.


Honestly, I´m already sick and tired of Hanlon for several reasons:

1. The games of the NT leading up to the World Cup are completly meainingless. No system is implemented, but even the third liners of the SCRJ get a call so that they can "showcase" themselves...

But this is a wish from the teams, they don't want their players to play every NT-game. Hanlon is not the one to blame.

2. I´ve rarely seen a worse PP. And this with two of the absolut best PP-Quarterbacks of the NHL.

I agree.

3.The fourth line gets like 2-3 minutes a game. We could hire Torts instead.

Trachsler has more than 10 minutes a game, Wieser has 7 minutes.

4. Hanlosn seems to make the line combinations by rolling a dice. I mean Brunner-Almond-Fiala against Sweden? Really?

You need to try something. Brunner - Romy - Hollenstein didn't seem to work, there aren't many possiblities with offensive players.

5. There are too few players from Davos (as much as I hate them, but we could use the intensity of some) and ZSC. Apart from Genoni, they are pretty much just used as fill-in material for the third and fourth lines.

The players that actually matter in Hanlons system have pretty much all failed during the playoffs. Talent does not guarantee wins, look at the Oilers.

Who from Davos and the ZSC could play in the first two lines? Wick is probably the only one. I don't think the others are ready yet. We had the same discussions with Krüger, also with Simpson. It doesn't matter how good you played during the season. It does matter how good you can adapt to the international hockey which is different to the NLA-hockey.

6. How many "Too many men"-Penalties have there been up to this point? 5?

Right, but I just cannot say who is to blame for that.

I really don't think that this team will make it to the next round and that Hanlon will coach in 2016. /rant

I'd like to be proven wrong though

Yeah, I also hope that.

 

[torero]

The bell of revolt has rung.

I am not worried at all if we finish 4th.

Somehow, no team in the other group looks flawless.

This game against Sweden filled me with hope ... maybe SF ? or even beyond ??

 

[Jon Riley]

I missed the match against Sweden, are we looking any better? How did they play? Anyway, one point is golden

 

[jonas2244]

Sweden was dominante especially in the 2nd period, in the third Switzerland was probably the better team with better scoring-chance.

It was a very solid effort. They played very well in the own zone with a good Genoni and as the game went on they could create more offense. Josi and Fiala hit the post, the PP was much better and the new lines seemed to work.

Josi and Streit clearly led the team out there, Streit played hell of a game and Josi is just Josi, unbelievable.

 

[torero]

I missed the match against Sweden, are we looking any better? How did they play? Anyway, one point is golden

Team wise it was way better. More fighter spirit. The good ones, remained good (genoni, streit, josi, fiala, ...i like helbling and walker ...) The ones who were not convincing have to wake up. (SURI, brunner, grossman ...) If this happens, the sky is the limit.

They had some dominating sequences remembering the silver medal year. Winning the battles, Playimg well and fast AND believing in their chances. just after the goal. It shows that it is psychological.

I have hope again.

 

[duga]

what an intense game that was yesterday.

the difference in strength on skates and and puck- and shootingskills was huge... thanks to their fighting-spirit, speed and a bit of luck the swiss could keep it a close game.

but when you see how the swedes are able to take down puck out of the air with their blades with ease, how good they are in recieving pucks even in subpar situations (that play that lead to the swedish lead is a good example), how good they read the game, the decisionmaking with the puck under pressure... we still have a long way to go as a Hockeynation!

and I really would like to see Walker with one of Fiala/ Brunner, he could create the room they were missing till now.

oh and chapeau, Timo! Somehow he gets a succesfull transition of "good, old 90's defensive style" to the present... International hockey is definitely a different brand of hockey!

 

[chokei]

Wasn't able to watch the game. But from the highlights... Genoni is not what gives this team an extra chance to compete on international level. He's an NLA goaltender and nothing more.

 

[torero]

We were dominated. Yet at some time, we were outspeeding them hansomely.

Genoni did not make amazing robbery, simply some routine and good saves. He ain't gerber or Hiller.

I like our hockey brand and, in a good day, it can beat any team. Improvement in stiCk handling wouldn't hurt though.

 

[torero]

double post

 

[The Noot]

Not sure what you guys are seeing. Our NHL golden boy and noted saviour Berra rocks an astounding sv% of 86.96 while Genoni is currently sitting on his mere 95.52%.

No, Genoni won't make some spectacular bicycle kick save out of nowhere. Because he doesn't have to as he doesn't get out of position in such a horrible fashion. He's not spectacular and flashy. But he gets the job done. In a "boring", but very efficient way.

Not saying that he's without flaws. He could use some additional height and with that his coverage of the top corners could be better. But you won't see many goalies with a better positional play and such a mental strength.

It's just an incredibly weird time to call him out tbh. Yes, he ain't no Hiller or Gerber, but so is everybody who's currently available for us.

 

[jonas2244]

Berra played very well vs. Latvia, there is no reason not to trust him.

And the last two years showed why it is important not to overplay a goalkeeper. 2013 Simpson shared the duties between Gerber and Berra (with the success you all know), last year Berra played most of the games and didn't look that good sometimes.

But with Berra tonight, Genoni is ready to play on Tuesday and on Thursday. I think it's important to give him the rest today.

 

[swissexpert]

Wasn't able to watch the game. But from the highlights... Genoni is not what gives this team an extra chance to compete on international level. He's an NLA goaltender and nothing more.

?!?
Genoni has been our best performer along with Josi so far.
He's better than Berra on his average day. Berra's best is better than Genonis best but that's not what matters.
Berra can, like Hiller, stand on his head when heavy opponents come, but generally, I trust Genoni more.