On Thursday, Feb. 12, France and Switzerland opened Day 2 of the men’s Olympic tournament, and there was no shortage of excitement in this game. Switzerland capitalized on an early power play chance and was up by two goals just three minutes into the game. The second period was marked by penalty minutes, with France taking three penalties and Switzerland taking four; however, Switzerland still maintained a 2-0 lead by the end of the 40 minutes of play.
Related: Guide to the 2026 Winter Olympics Men’s Tournament
In the final 20 minutes, Switzerland took another penalty but didn’t let France capitalize. With two late goals in the second half of the final frame, Switzerland left the game with a 4-0 win. They recorded the first shutout of the men’s tournament.
France Let Tensions Run High
France spent 10 minutes of the 60-minute game in the box. Just 36 seconds into the game, Pierre Edouard Bellemare took a seat for tripping. Just 19 seconds later, Damien Riat opened the scoring for Switzerland. This sequence alone already took France out of the game.
They tried their best to score, taking a total of 27 shots, but it wasn’t enough. For their next game, France must avoid any early penalties that disrupt their mental game.
Meier with Back-to-Back Goals
In the third period, it was all Timo Meier. Switzerland already had a two-goal lead heading into this period, thanks to Riat and Janis Moser. Six minutes into the final frame, Christoph Bertschy took a seat for cross-checking. Although Switzerland didn’t cash in on this last man advantage of the game, they made up for it in the second half.
Meier scored two minutes after the two teams went back to even strength. He scored again six minutes later. He not only scored his first two goals at the Olympic level, but he also made history by becoming the first Swiss-born NHL player to score two goals in an Olympic game.
Meier is a player New Jersey Devils fans are very familiar with. In this season so far, he has played 52 games and has scored 14 goals and recorded 14 assists for a total of 28 points. He has been a solid player in the Devils’ top six. He may be in Switzerland’s bottom six, but he found his scoring rhythm already in just game one of the tournament.
Genoni Held Strong for Switzerland
Leonardo Genoni was Switzerland’s starting goaltender for the tournament, and he had a great performance. He stopped all 27 of France’s shots, spoiling their chances of scoring their first goal in the tournament. France will have to try again in the next game.
Genoni is not a name NHL fans are familiar with, since he plays in Switzerland’s National League. He has spent his entire career there, which began in 2003-04, and he has played on four different teams. He currently plays for EV Zug, where he has spent the past seven seasons. So far this season, he has played 34 games and earned a save percentage (SV%) of .915. His record for the season sits at 14-13-2, and he has a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.38.
Although NHL fans might not know who Genoni is, it is clear that he has been a big name for Switzerland for a long time. The 38-year-old goaltender is doing a great job representing his country to kick off the 2026 Olympics by getting his first shutout of the tournament.
Both Teams Back on Friday
France will play against Czechia at 10:40 AM ET. Switzerland will close out a four-game slate against Canada at 3:10 PM ET.
