Team Switzerland secured a spot in the final four of the 2026 IIHF World Championship on Thursday, with a 3-1 victory over Sweden. However, they will be without one of their strongest players as they face Norway in the semifinals tomorrow (May 30).
New Jersey Devils’ own Timo Meier has been suspended on behalf of the Ice Hockey World Championship Disciplinary Panel. His infraction occurred during the second period of the quarterfinal game. Meier attempted to deliver a body check to Sweden’s Oskar Sundqvist, but ended up illegally kneeing him instead.
The contact violated the IIHF’s Official Playing Rule 50, and it was determined that Meier will be suspended for one game. Meaning, he will be eligible to play in Switzerland’s final game to compete for either a gold or bronze medal.
Meier has been offensively dominant so far, with three goals and eight assists. Across eight games, he’s recorded 39 shots on goal. He currently has the third-most points among all the tournament’s players. But his impressive point production is nothing new to Devils’ fans. He finished fourth on the team with 44 points and also earned seven points in five games for Switzerland at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
After coming up short in the finals and earning two consecutive silver medals, there’s no doubt that Switzerland will bring their A-game on Saturday. The team has been highly efficient this year, leading all countries with 42 goals, a 94.44% penalty kill success rate, and nine power-play goals, along with the lowest goals-against average (1.00 GAA).
Hopefully, they’ll be able to pull off another win without Meier, who’s been one of their best players since the preliminary round.
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