Switzerland’s Kevin Fiala stretchered off with injury vs. Canada

Fiala sustained the injury in the final minutes of the loss after a collision with Tom Wilson in the Canada zone. While Wilson is well known for his borderline physical play in the NHL, no foul play was involved in this hit, as he was simply playing the body, and the aftermath of the hit caused Wilson to fall on Fiala’s lower body.

Fiala had to be taken to the hospital, according to Swiss head coach Patrick Fischer. Beyond that, nothing is known about his injury, including the specifics of it, although it wouldn’t be surprising if it was something in the lower body considering the impact. The severity of Fiala’s injury is also not known right now, but it would be a surprise if Fiala is able to return to this Olympic tournament, and he may even miss some time with his NHL club, the Los Angeles Kings.

Fiala had just one shot in 20:04 of ice time in the loss for Switzerland. If this is the end of the tournament for him, he finishes with one assist in two games, collecting an apple on the fourth goal of Switzerland’s 4-0 win over France on Thursday.

Fiala is in the midst of a down season in the NHL, as he has 18 goals and 22 assists for 40 points in 56 games with the Kings. It’s currently the worst point-per-game production since his breakout season in 2019-20.

The injury is a big blow to Switzerland’s lineup, as Fiala is one of just 11 NHL players in their lineup. Not only that, but he’s one of their best NHLers too, as he ranks second among Swiss players in career NHL points, and is third in points per game.

The injury is also a big blow as Switzerland also lost two other important players in the loss to Canada. Both Denis Malgin and Andrea Glauser also sustained injuries in the game, coming much earlier in the game. Both players played key roles high in the Swiss lineup.

Switzerland currently sits in second in Group A with a 1-0-0-1 record and a 0 goal differential. They’ll look to clinch second in the group and possibly try to get a bye to the quarterfinals when they play Czechia on Sunday at 6:10 a.m. ET.