Team USA opened up the Olympics with a solid 3-1 win of Jonas Hiller and Team Switzerland. If someone asked me to describe the game in two words, I'd elect to use "fast" and "physical."
Former Team USA loud mouth Jeremy Roenick was on hand to provide his usual off-the-cuff commentary. He elected to say the game was a bit sloppy and criticized Hiller for trying to poke check a shot away rather than play it for the save, but that's the JR we've all come to love over the years.
Overall, the Swiss defense looked a bit confused. I wouldn't say they lacked chemistry as a unit, but they looked as if they weren't entirely sure of the best way to counter Team USA's speed. A perfect example of this came during the David Backes goal. As Backes bolted down the boards into the Swiss zone, he was able to catch a Swiss defender on his backfoot and pull a Jordan Staal-esque power move to the front of the net that ultimately beat Hiller for the second goal of the game.
Ryan Miller wasn't overworked by any means, stopping 14 of 15 shots, but he was asked to make a few big saves when needed. Good to see he wasn't flopping all over the place early in this Olympic run, as he clearly showed some poise and control despite whatever nerves were firing off in all directions. He came within 10 minutes of picking up a shutout before Roman Wick notched the only goal for Switzerland.
Up next is Canada vs. Norway, on CNBC and CTV. Again, if you haven't bookmarked it already, Hooks tossed up a post the other day with a list of where to watch the games.
Hooks will likely chime in here a bit later as well, so keep checking back and jumping in with the comments.