Olympics: Kukan Wins It In OT 4-3 Against Czechia

 

After a 5-1 loss to Canada on Friday, Switzerland bounced back with a hard-fought 4-3 overtime win over Czechia on Sunday at Santagiulia Arena. Dean Kukan scored the game-winner as the Swiss secured second place in Group A and handed Czechia its second loss of the tournament. Roman Josi, Timo Meier, and Pius Suter also found the net for Switzerland, while Filip Chlalek, Radim Simek, and Martin Necas scored for Czechia. The matchup marked the first overtime game of the men’s tournament.

Switzerland Lineup:

Kurashev - Hischier - Meier

Andrighetto - Suter - Niederreiter

S. Schmid - Thurkauf - Bertschy

Knak - Jager - Riat

Josi - Moser

Siegenthaler - Kukan

Marti - Fora

Berni

Genoni

Czechia Lineup:

Palat - Hertl - Pastrnak

Chlapik - Kampf - Necas

Cervenka - Sedlak - Kase

Flek - Faksa - Stransky

Simek - Hronek

Kempny - Gudas

Spacek - Kundratek

Tichacek - Tomasek

Dostal

Czechia opened the scoring late in the first 20 with 4:41 on the clock when David Kampf got the puck to Martin Necas, who found Filip Chlapik for a one-timer from the right face-off circle to finish the odd-man rush to get the 1-0 lead.

Roman Josi got Switzerland on the board with only 3:07 left to play in the second period to tie it 1-1 when he carried the puck with him into the right circle, sending a backhand that went in off Radko Gudas' skate, trickling past Lukas Dostal. Less than two minutes later, with 1:23 on the clock, Timo Meier collected the rebound of Josi's one-timer and backhanded it in front past Dostal to give the Swiss a 2-1 lead.

Radim Simek knotted it up 2-2 at 13:27 after Necas picked up a loose puck, sent it back to the point, and Chlapik redirected it in front of the goal crease, where Simek pounced on the rebound. Not long after the second Czechia goal, Pius Suter responded quickly, untying the knot to get Switzerland back in front 3-2 for his second goal of the tournament, firing from the edge of the right circle. J.J. Moser and Meier picked up the assists. After what would've been the tying goal by David Pastrnak that was waved off due to goaltender interference during a power play, Necas found the back of the net one-timed Filip Hronek's pass with Dostal pulled for an extra attacker from the left face-off circle to tie it 3-3 with 2:06 left in the third.

At 1:49 in overtime, Dean Kukan won it for Switzerland when he ripped a wrister from the left face-off circle on a 2-on-1 for the 4-3 final.

Notes:

- Leonardo Genoni made a total of 29 saves for Switzerland.

- Lukas Dostal made a total of 25 saves for Czechia.

- Both Roman Josi and Timo Meier scored a goal and recorded an assist.

- Martin Necas had a goal and picked up a pair of assists, and Filip Chlapik recorded a goal and an assist. ...Necas, who ranks second among Czech NHL players this season with 40 assists and 62 points, had the primary assist on the opening goal for his team-leading third point of the tournament (1-2--3).

- Necas added his second assist of the game, becoming the first Czech player with consecutive multi-point games at an Olympics with NHL players.

- Roman Josi, captain of both the Predators and Switzerland, scored his first career Olympic goal (7 GP) to tie the game. He is the highest-scoring Swiss player in NHL history. ...Josi assisted on Timo Meier’s go-ahead goal for his first career Olympic multi-point game (1-1--2). He can become the first Swiss defenseman with a three-point game at an Olympics with NHL players. His effort marks the third multi-point performance by a Swiss player this tournament, following J.J. Moser (1-1--2) and Meier (2-0--2) vs. France.

- Entering the third period, Josi and J.J. Moser each have three points at the 2026 Olympics, tied for the most by a Swiss defenseman in a single tournament with NHL players. They match Mark Streit’s three-point performances in 2006 (2-1--3 in 6 GP) and 2010 (0-3--3 in 5 GP). ...Moser recorded his fourth point of the 2026 Olympics, setting a new record for most points by a Swiss defenseman in one tournament with NHL players. He is also the first Swiss blueliner with multiple multi-point games at an Olympics (career or single tournament).

- Meier scored his third goal of the tournament, tying the Swiss record for most goals in one Olympics with NHL players. He matches Jean-Jacques Aeschlimann (3 in 4 GP, 2002) and Paul Di Pietro (3 in 6 GP, 2006).

- This is the third all-time Olympic meeting between Switzerland and Czechia with NHL players. Switzerland won both previous round-robin matchups: 1-0 on Feb. 15, 2014, and 3-2 on Feb. 16, 2006.

- Dean Kukan, who scored five goals in 153 NHL games with the Blue Jackets from 2015-16 to 2021-22, netted the first overtime goal of the 2026 men’s tournament at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics. He is just the second defenseman to score an OT goal at an Olympics with NHL players, joining Drew Doughty (Team Canada, 2014).

- Switzerland improved to 3-0 all-time against Czechia at an Olympics with NHL players, with previous wins in 2014 and 2006.

- The result finalized Group A in the preliminary round: Canada finishes first, Switzerland second, Czechia third, and France fourth.

- This marks the first overtime game of the men’s tournament at the 2026 Olympics and the 12th overtime contest at an Olympics with NHL players. Of the previous 11, four were decided in overtime and seven in a shootout. Czechia (David Krejci in 2010) and Switzerland (Romano Lemm) account for two of those four overtime goals.