Switzerland Stay Perfect With 4-2 Win Over Latvia

Switzerland made it two wins from two at the 2026 IIHF World Championship with a 4-2 victory over Latvia at Swiss Life Arena on Saturday night. A sellout of 10,000 watched the hosts outshoot Latvia 43-23 in front of another loud home crowd.

How it unfolded

The first period stayed scoreless despite Switzerland's territorial advantage. The Swiss broke through at 10:10 of the second when Timo Meier scored from Nico Hischier and Theo Rochette to make it 1-0. Latvia answered just 95 seconds later: Rudolfs Balcers buried a Deniss Smirnovs and Sandis Vilmanis feed at 11:45 to even things at 1-1.

Damien Riat restored the lead on the power play at 17:18 of the second period, finishing from Sven Andrighetto and Denis Malgin. Dean Kukan stretched the lead just 59 seconds into the third (0:59) from Christian Marti and Meier to make it 3-1. Riat sealed his second of the night at 12:13 from Simon Knak and Kukan to push the score to 4-1.

Balcers added his second on a Latvian power play at 19:46 to make the final 4-2, but it was too little too late.

Goaltenders and shots

Sandro Aeschlimann picked up the win with 21 saves on 23 shots. Kristers Gudlevskis took the loss for Latvia with 39 saves on 43 shots, keeping the score respectable despite Switzerland's heavy pressure. Riat led all skaters with 2 goals and an assist, while Kukan added 1+2.

Coming up

Switzerland join Finland atop Group A on 6 points after two games, with a plus-four goal differential just behind Finland's plus-five. Both teams return to action Monday: Switzerland face Germany at 20:20 CET, while Latvia meet Finland at 16:20 CET, both in Zürich.