0.8 seconds. The time Canada needs to turn a game

30 Apr 2012 | Isabella Zancardi - Photos by Marco Bertolini

In a sold-out Patinoire St-Léonard in Fribourg a fit Switzerland gives in to debutant Canada

Switzerland - Canada 1-2so (0-0,0-0,1-1,0-1)

Switzerland comes from six matches in the last month. Four wins against Finland, Austria and twice against Sweden. One lost against Austria and an overtime lost against Finland. A good balance
Canada starts tonight its road-to-Stockholm campaign, alligning on ice goalie Devan Dubnyk and skaters John Tavares, Jordan Eberle, Patrick Sharp, Teddy Purcell, Jamie Benn, Corey Perry and Evander Kane among the others

The game starts strong, with the Swiss shows immediately that will perform well throughout the game.
The Switzerland's Canadian headcoach Sean Simpson - the man who brought his former team ZSC Lions Zurich to beat Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the Champions Hockey League finals, and in 2009 to win the Victoria Cup against Blackhawks Chicago, then Stanley Cup champions - seems to have finally found a way to let the players play according to his style in this series of friendly matches in preparation for the World. And the results are following. The players follow him in the only way that can allow a Swiss team to beat Canada or an NHL team: play their game and play as if this is the last game. Fast play, board-friendly, no awe. Immediately.

So the Swiss team becomes very dangerous, especially with his second line (Mark Streit, Luca Sbisa, Nino Niederreiter, Andres Ambuhl, Roman Wick) and third line (Severin Blindenbacher, Philippe Furrer, Ivo Ruthemann, Thibaut Monnet, Julien Sprunger).
Lines topic that becomes much more complicated in the Canada side. With a young roster, coach Brent Sutter try to experiment various solutions and the compositions of lines continuosly evolving.

The first two periods continues on this way, with the Swiss hitting hard and creating many chances but never finding the goal. Bad blow during the second period for the NLA top scorer Julien Sprunger, who after an open ice check is not back on the ice.
The score unfreezes only at 58:07 when Daniel Rubin scoring Swiss advantage. When everything seemed decided, 6 vs. 5, 0'' 8 to the end, Jordan Eberle was able to deflect a Duncan Keith's shot from the blue line . The five-minute overtime does not change anything, while the shoot-out reward Canadians with the unique signature of Eberle.

Canadian coach Brent Sutter has to work a lot to find the right stability for his team, which appears too fresh and without the right amount of oil.
Something different for Switzerland: home team made a convincing performance, but this good game perhaps even more lights on last years' Swiss classic problems: the lack in the roster of players who smell the door with eyes closed.

Anaheim Ducks Swiss defender Luca Sbisa is objective after the game: "We must improve our management of power-play, now it's confused and we are not searching for the goal, and especially the vision and operation of the rebound."

Good job and good luck Luca, Good job and good luck Sean.

The revenge is scheduled at Kloten In two days