Canada’s Marchand, Morrissey to sit against Switzerland; Jarvis, Sanheim to make debuts

Morrissey left Canada’s tournament opener on Thursday against Czechia, a 5-0 victory for the squad. The status of Morrissey’s injury is unclear, but if he is unable to return, his roster spot can not be replaced after Canada officially registered 25 players on Feb. 10.

Marchand’s reason for exclusion is unknown at this time. The 37-year-old had one assist in 9:29 of play in Canada’s bottom-six in his first Olympic appearance.

Carolina’s Seth Jarvis will make his Olympic debut, playing alongside Bo Horvat and Sam Reinhart on Canada’s third line. The other three forward lines will remain untouched, with Sam Bennett serving as the 13th forward. Defenseman Travis Sanheim, meanwhile, will take Morrissey’s place as the seventh defenseman.

Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson is expected to be the starter for Canada, with Darcy Kuemper set to be the backup. Neither has played in an Olympic game in their careers.

Switzerland is currently the second-highest rated team in the IIHF rankings thanks to two straight silvers. A gold medal has alluded them, but they’re not afraid of anyone. Switzerland will play Canada on Friday, and while the Canadians are definitely the favorites, the Swiss have won three of the past four meetings between them at the World Championship.

Canada will get Saturday off before finishing its Olympic preliminary round action against France on Sunday.