Malone, Backes score in 3-1 win over Swiss
Entering the 2010 Winter Olympics, skeptics wondered if the United States men’s hockey team had enough firepower to contend for a medal.
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On Tuesday afternoon in Vancouver, the Americans used their big-bodied third and fourth lines to generate offense and watched goalie Ryan Miller do the rest in a decisive 3-1 win over Switzerland.
While the top line of Zach Parise, Paul Stastny and Patrick Kane was held off the scoresheet, bruisers Ryan Malone and David Backes provided goals 2 minutes, 32 seconds apart in the second period to put the opening game of pool play in Group A out of reach.
The United States (1-0, 3 points) next plays Norway at 3 p.m. on Thursday. A win there would clinch a berth in the medal round. Sunday the Americans get a showdown with rival — and tournament favorite — Canada.
“It was the first Olympic experience for a lot of our players and I loved our discipline,” said coach Ron Wilson, who led the Capitals to their lone Stanley Cup finals appearance in 1998. “We’re learning more about each other every day and we want to get better with each game.”
That’s crucial considering most of the team’s NHL players flew into Vancouver after games on Saturday night or Sunday afternoon, leaving just one practice to get ready. Switzerland, with just two NHL players, had virtually its full team playing exhibition games in Canada last week.
Already ahead 1-0 after a late first-period goal by Anaheim Ducks forward Bobby Ryan, the United States took control when the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Backes (St. Louis Blues) drove hard on a Swiss defenseman and powered his way to the front of Jonas Hiller’s goal. He slammed the puck past the goalie and put the Americans ahead 2-0. Minutes later — on a power play — the 6-4, 220-pound Malone stood his ground in front of Hiller and bashed home a rebound off a shot by teammate Ryan Suter.
That was all Miller needed. The 29-year-old has struggled in recent weeks for the Buffalo Sabres, his NHL team. But he turned aside a handful of odd-man rushes by the Swiss and saved 14 of 15 shots. Switzerland’s lone goal came on a power play at 9:45 of the third period thanks to forward Roman Wick. Hiller — the starting goalie for the Ducks — stopped 21 of 24 shots.
