The preliminary round rolls on at the 2026 IIHF World Championship and fans were treated to four great games on Day 6 of the tournament, with a pair of undefeated nations doing battle in the early game in Group A – Switzerland and Austria, while over in Group B, Italy looked to pick up their first win as they faced Czechia.
In the second game of Day 6 in Group A, Germany tried to avoid starting the tournament 0-0-0-4 as they took on the United States, who were finally able to get Matthew Tkachuk in the lineup. Meanwhile Sweden faced off against Slovenia as both nations were looking for their second win of the tournament.
Austria (0) vs Switzerland (9) F
It’s been a great start to the 2026 IIHF World Championship for both Austria and the hosts, Switzerland, as they enter Day 6 with identical 3-0-0-0 records and a chance to take sole possession of first place in Group A with a win on Wednesday.
While Austria made a good effort in the first five minutes of the contest, Switzerland took over from there, finding the back of the net four times in the first period thanks to Theo Rochette, Timo Meier, Nico Hischier and Damien Riat. They didn’t slow down there as Nico Hischier and Theo Rochette each picked up their second of the game, while Calvin Thurkauf scored his first of the tournament, giving Switzerland a 7-0 lead after 40 minutes.
In the third period, Switzerland kept pressing and it took them a little over halfway through the final frame to score their eighth of the night, which came courtesy of Damien Riat, his second of the game. Less than six minutes later, Christoph Bertschy scored his second of the 2026 IIHF World Championship to make it 9-0 as Switzerland would remain undefeated at 4-0-0-0, while Austria picked up their first loss of the tournament
Wednesday’s victory over Austria was the third time in the last three tournaments that Switzerland has scored at least eight goals in a game (8-0 win vs Denmark in 2024, 10-0 win vs Hungary in 2025). Veteran netminder Leonardo Genoni made 20 saves for his first shutout of the tournament and in the process, became the new all-time record holder for shutouts in IIHF World Championship history with 13.
Scoring Summary:
Switzerland
- Theo Rochette (1). Assists: Denis Malgin, Sven Andrighetto.
- Timo Meier (2). Assist: Dominik Egli.
- Nico Hischier (2). Assists: Timo Meier, Attilio Biasca.
- Damien Riat (3). Assists: Sven Andrighetto, Dean Kukan.
- Nico Hischier (3). Assists: Nino Niederreiter, Timo Meier.
- Calvin Thurkauf (1). Assist: JJ Moser.
- Theo Rochette (2). Assists: Sven Andrighetto, Christian Marti.
- Damien Riat (4). Assists: Theo Rochette, Denis Malgin.
- Christoph Bertschy (2). Assists: Calvin Thurkauf, Sven Jung.
Czechia (3) vs Italy (1) F
Despite some worry about their medal chances coming into the tournament, Czechia are playing quite well to start the 2026 IIHF World Championship, aside from their upset loss to Slovenia, as they entered action on Wednesday with a 2-0-1-0 record through three games. For Italy, they come into today’s game with three regulation losses and just one goal scored, but got a big boost between the pipes as Anaheim Ducks prospect Damian Clara was officially added to their roster for the remainder of the tournament.
Czechia peppered Damian Clara early on, but neither nation were able to find the back of the net in the opening period and returned to their respective locker rooms knotted up at 0-0. In the second period, it was much of the same as Czechia controlled the play, outshooting Italy 24-3 in the middle frame, but in a huge shock, it was the Italians who took a 1-0 lead on a wrap-around goal from Nicholas Saracino. Italy would hold onto that 1-0 lead through 40 minutes, with Damian Clara stopping all 39 shots he faced.
Italy was 20 minutes away from one of the biggest upsets in IIHF World Championship history, but Czechia put an end to that possibility. A little over five minutes into the Florida Panthers prospect Marek Alscher scored his first of the tournament to tie the game at 1-1. There was some contact with Clara in the crease, but Italy opted not to challenge the goal. Czechia would pick up their first lead of the night less than six minutes later as Jakub Flek scored his second of the tournament. With time winding down late in the third, former NHLer Dominik Kubalik put it into the empty net for his third of the tournament, securing a 3-1 win for Czechia in the process.
Scoring Summary:
Czechia
- Marek Alscher (1). Assists: Jiri Tichacek, Matej Blumel.
- Jakub Flek (2). Assists: David Tomasek, Filip Hronek.
- Dominik Kubalik (3). Assist: David Tomasek.
Italy
- Nicholas Saracino (1). Assist: Mikael Frycklund.
United States (4) vs Germany (3) F/SO
After starting the tournament with three straight regulation losses to Finland, Latvia and Switzerland, Germany was looking to get into the win column for the first time at the 2026 IIHF World Championship. Standing in the way was the United States, who had just one win in three games to start the tournament, but received a big addition to their roster on Wednesday – two-time Stanley Cup champion & 2026 Olympic gold medalist Matthew Tkachuk.
Fan have been looking to German captain Moritz Seider to step up and deliver offensively in this tournament and he did exactly that one minute into the first period, scoring his first to make it 1-0. Germany would hold onto their 1-0 lead for the majority of the first period before Isaac Howard scored his third of the 2026 IIHF World Championship, tying the game at 1-1, which is where things stood after 20 minutes.
In the second period, the two nations went back-and-forth as Max Sasson of the Vancouver Canucks gave the United States their first lead of the game a little over five minutes into the middle frame. The Germans would equalize less than five minutes later, with Frederik Tiffels making it 2-2 on his second of the tournament. A few minutes after Tiffels’ goal, the Germans would regain the lead through Marc Michaelis.
Some controversy arose late in the third period as the United States poked the puck loose from Philipp Grubauer, who appeared to have it covered under his glove. The puck came to Tommy Novak, who put it home for his first career goal for the United States, tying the game at 3-3. Grubauer and the German players were incensed and while they could have challenged for goaltender interference, Harold Kreis opted not to as Novak’s goal stood and would ultimately forced overtime.
Overtime solved nothing and in the shootout, Ryan Leonard of the Washington Capitals finished it off, beating Grubauer glove side to give the United States their second win of the 2026 IIHF World Championship.
Scoring Summary:
United States
- Isaac Howard (3). Assist: Alex Steeves.
- Max Sasson (1). Assists: Ryan Ufko, Alex Steeves.
- Tommy Novak (1). Assist: Declan Carlile.
Germany
- Moritz Seider (1). Assists: Frederik Tiffels, Josh Samanski.
- Frederik Tiffels (2). Assists: Lukas Reichel, Leon Gawanke.
- Marc Michaelis (1). Assist: Alexander Ehl.
Sweden (6) vs Slovenia (0) F
Slovenia has surprised many at this year’s tournament with an upset win in overtime against Czechia on Day 2 and even picked up a point yesterday with a shootout loss to Slovakia. As for Sweden, they came into today’s game looking to bounce back after a tight 4-3 defeat to Czechia on Monday.
Early on in the first period, Sweden strike first as Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond made it 1-0 for his nation. Sweden would double their lead with under a minute remaining in the opening frame thanks to former Montreal Canadiens forward Jacob de la Rose’s first of the tournament.
The middle frame is where Sweden would blow things wide open. Less than six minutes into second, Jacob de la Rose would add his name to the score sheet once again, giving Sweden a 3-0 lead. One minute and three seconds later, Sweden would find the back of the net again, this time courtesy of defenseman Robert Hagg. Lucas Raymond, his second of the night, and Mattias Ekholm would put Sweden up 6-0 after 40 minutes.
A scoreless third period saw Sweden hold on for a 6-0 win, which put them back into a quarterfinal spot, for now. Despite the loss, Slovenian netminder Zan Us was brilliant, stopping 39 of the 45 shots he faced in Wednesday’s contest.
Scoring Summary:
Sweden
- Lucas Raymond (3). Assists: Carl Grundstrom, Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
- Jacob de la Rose (1). Assists: Linus Karlsson, Mattias Ekholm.
- Jacob de la Rose (2). Assist: Linus Karlsson.
- Robert Hagg (1). Assists: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Anton Frondell.
- Lucas Raymond (4). Assists: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Ivar Stenberg.
- Mattias Ekholm (3.) Assists: Anton Frondell, Simon Holmstrom.
Standings
Group A
| Nation | GP | W | OT/SOW | OT/SOL | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 4 | +18 | 12 |
| Finland | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 4 | +9 | 9 |
| Austria | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 14 | -2 | 9 |
| United States | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 13 | -1 | 5 |
| Hungary | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 8 | +/-0 | 3 |
| Latvia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 | -2 | 3 |
| Germany | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 15 | -10 | 1 |
| Great Britain | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 15 | -12 | 0 |
Group B
| Nation | GP | W | OT/SOW | OT/SOL | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Czechia | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 8 | +5 | 10 |
| Canada | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 4 | +12 | 9 |
| Slovakia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 8 |
| Sweden | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 11 | +7 | 6 |
| Norway | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 6 |
| Slovenia | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 17 | -10 | 3 |
| Denmark | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 15 | -11 | 0 |
| Italy | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 17 | -15 | 0 |
My 3 Stars of Day 6
- Damian Clara (Italy) – 55 saves on 57 shots in loss vs Czechia.
- Theo Rochette (Switzerland) – 2 goals, 1 assist vs Austria.
- Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Sweden) – 3 assists vs Slovenia.
Day 7 Schedule (Thursday, May 21st)
- Latvia vs Finland (10:20 am ET)
- Canada vs Norway (10:20 am ET)
- Switzerland vs Great Britain (2:20 pm ET)
- Denmark vs Slovakia (2:20 pm ET)
(Image Source: Andre Ringuette/IIHF)