I was at the game yesterday. Some consideration:
In the first period, Switzerland reminded me a bit of what we saw at the Olympics, not great at filtering the neutral zone and too quick to collapse around the net when pressured. The Czech found some good shooting positions thanks to many three on two opportunities, but Genoni played very well. Switzerland scored on the first power play of the game and finished the period with a lucky lead.
Switzerland played much better in the second period and spent most of the time in the offensive zone, creating several opportunities thanks to a fast and agressive forecheck, and could have scored more without a solid Salak. The Czech were only able to create some offense in the last few minutes, but overall this period was all Switzerland.
Then the Czech started the third period with a very high tempo game, forechecking Switzerland very deep and putting a lot of pressure on the net, but only the Ruzicka - Zohorna - Buchtele line was able to regularly create good shooting opportunities out of this pressure, as Switzerland played well in the defensive zone and managed to keep the play on the outside, while Genoni was very secure and the defense cleared the slot very well when needed. Then in the second half of the third period, the Czech were unable to keep their very high pace and seemed tired, which allowed Switzerland to keep possession of the puck most of the time. This led to Pestoni's goal, before Vondrka scored on one of Switzerland's rare defensive mistake when three players went chasing the puck behind the goal line.
Overall a very solid performance by Switzerland, strong defensive play, especially around Genoni, and the power play was excellent. The only downside is that they didn't seem as well organised when filtering the neutral zone compared to last year in Stockholm.
Some considerations about the players:
Genoni: Very solid game, good positionning and excellent rebound control. Definitely made a strong argument for the starting spot in Minsk.
Josi - Schlumpf: Not much to say about Josi, he was the best player on the ice by far, amazing with the puck. Schlumpf had a very strong game too, althoug at time he almost seemed intimidated by playing with Josi and the main power play unit, but his work in the slot was excellent. Made a strong case for himself.
Vauclair - Kukan: Vauclair was his usual self, although he didn't carry the puck across the neutral zone as much as he usually likes to. It pissed me off that a dirty hit with just one minut left in the game destroyed what was an almost perfect game so far. This was my first time seeing Kukan and he played a simpler game than what I expected from the few Luleå games I watched, didn't take much chances on offense, but overall he played well and like Schlumpf, made a strong case for himself.
Ramholt - Grossmann: Ramholt was what you would except for a 4th pair defenseman at the World Championship, played a simple game, solid defensively and playing the simple pass on the breakout. Grossmann was a big disappointment, as he's a player I've always liked, but he seemed very shaky on several occasions, missing simple passes and once tripping himself while skating backward.
Huguenin - Kamerzin: Weren't much noticeable, which I guess is a good thing for a bottom pair, but they are most likely the next cuts.
Hollenstein - Romy - Brunner: Far and away the most dangerous line, thanks to the strong chemistry between Romy and Hollenstein, and Brunner's offensive skills. On the downside, Brunner didn't skate hard enough, and with Romy not being the quickest guy around, only Hollenstein was brining speed to their play. Brunner definitely has to keep his feet moving more, although it wasn't as bad as during the Olympics.
Rüfenacht - Ambühl - Pestoni: All three players showed good things individualy, but they weren't that good as a unit, which lead to Simpson switching Ambühl and Monnet after the first period. Pestoni did a great job getting scoring opportunities by skating hard and smart positionning, but wasted a lot of great chances. Rüfenacht was a bit out of place in a line supposed to create offense, but his agressivity on the forecheck and around the net was excellent. Made a very, very strong case for a spot on the team. Ambühl was his usual self, creating offense thanks to his speed and quickness, and being quickly back on defense when needed.
Plüss - Monnet - Simek: Not that great of a line, although Plüss had some nice setup. Monnet was better once moved to the 2nd line, and overall a lot better than what he showed during the playoffs, although probably not enough to claim an offensive role in the final team. Simek was very disappointing, he simply didn't do much.
Scherwey - Froidevaux - Neuenschwander: Did a solid fourth line job thanks to good chemistry on the forecheck and hard work in the defensive zone. Individually, only Scherway was noticeable with some agressive skating which put the Czech defense in trouble, but I felt he's clearly behind Rüfenacht in his role, and having both at the World Championship would be, in my opinion, a bit redundant.
Regarding the team that will go to Minsk, I gained a lot of confidence in Genoni, but Gerber not coming is another blow to the goalie situation. Time to start cheering for Minnesota?
The defense will be fine, despite Vauclair's injury being a huge blow. Josi was as dominant as one year ago, and Schlumpf and Kukan are up to the task. With the addition of one of Streit or Diaz, Weber, Blindenbacher and Seger, the top four will be solid and three of Kukan, Schlumpf, Ramholt, Geering and Blum can complete the defense.
On offense, Brunner, Romy and Hollenstein are of course locks, and we will probably have a line with Ambühl and Suri. Too bad Suri didn't play yesterday as I wanted to have a look the the Suri - Ambühl - Pesoni line, although with the way Pestoni was smart to get into good positions (too often wasted by poor finishes), I can see them going to Minsk as the third line. I can see Rüfenacht joining Trachsler on the fourth line, but none of Scherwey, Froidevaux, Neuenschwander or Simek made a good case for the other spot, and it is obviously not a role for Monnet or Plüss. I think Simpson should strongly consider one of Stancescu or Schäppi. Then for the 2nd line,
i is of course a lock, but we really have to hope both Moser and Niederreiter will be available. If not, Patrick and Sven Bärtschi and probably the best next options.
