USA vs. Switzerland on Feb. 9
More history-making could be on the docket for Team USA captain Hilary Knight against Switzerland on Monday.
The five-time Olympian is just one goal away from becoming the all-time leading Olympic goal scorer for the U.S. women's hockey team. Knight previously tied the record (14 goals) held by retired U.S. players Natalie Darwitz and Katie King in Team USA's win over Finland on Saturday.
The Americans are up against a Swiss squad that dealt with illness prior to being shut out by Canada on Saturday. However, Switzerland showed they have many weapons in their arsenal after a shootout win over Czechia in the Olympic opener.
Speaking of tools, Swiss goaltender Saskia Maurer is quite literally a Swiss Army knife in the net. She used any means possible to snag 51 saves during the team's loss to Canada. The U.S. will need to be smart with its shot selection against brick-wall Maurer.
Luckily, the U.S. has plenty of attacking options to throw at Maurer. Megan Keller leads the team in points (4), and seven different American players have scored in the first two games.
The U.S. has also been successful drawing penalties so far, following through and converting on three out of nine power plays in the tournament.
All around, the Americans have pushed the pace in each game, and they'll look to continue to force other squads, like Switzerland, to keep up with their tempo.
Overall, it's safe to say it's a work week for the U.S. team, as they face Canada in a much-anticipated rivalry just one day after taking on the Swiss. Watch both games live on NBCOlympics.com and Peacock.
Latest in the women's hockey tournament
The United States, Canada and Sweden remain undefeated in the women's Olympic hockey tournament.
Canada got off to delayed start in Olympic play after its first game against Finland was postponed due to illness within the Finnish squad. However, the Canadians finally got on the ice for the first time on Saturday and had a statement shutout over Switzerland, as they look to defend their Olympic title.
Sweden's Thea Johansson is the leading Olympic goal-scorer so far, and had a goal Sunday in the team's 4-0 shutout over France.
Host country Italy secured the team's first-ever Olympic win during the opening game of women's hockey over France.
As for the women from Czechia, they snagged their first win of competition on Sunday over a recovering Finnish team.
Finland and France are the only teams yet to a record a victory in Olympic competition. Members of Finland's team were quarantined early on in the tournament due to the norovirus and suited up for the first time over the weekend. The Finnish have also yet to score. For the French, this is the first time they've ever qualified for the Games, and they came within one goal of their first Olympic win against Japan on Friday.
Even though there have been four shutouts by four different teams (Czechia, Sweden, Canada, U.S.), parity amongst the competition seems more evident than ever in the first Olympics since the PWHL started. The level of play and the amount of physicality in the game isn't something we have seen previously on the Olympic stage and it's setting up a fiercely aggressive and competitive tournament.
After the group stage, all five teams from Group A and the top three from Group B will advance to the quarterfinals. Sweden has already qualified for the next round after racking up the nine-point max after three games.
Here's a quick refresher on how points are awarded during the group stage:
- 3 points for a win
- 1 point for both teams if regulation ends in a tie
- 1 additional point for an overtime or shootout win
Women's Olympic hockey standings as of Feb. 8:
Updates from Feb. 8 games
- Sweden shut out France 4-0
- Czechia defeated Finland 2-0
Reuters contributed this article.