- IIHF hands Timo Meier a one-game ban for a knee-on-knee hit on Oskar Sundqvist
- The Devils forward will miss Switzerland’s semifinal vs. Norway on Saturday
- Read below for the IIHF ruling, video of the hit, and Sweden’s reaction
Switzerland will be without its leading scorer when it tries to reach a third straight World Championship gold-medal game.
IIHF discipline came down Friday. Devils winger Timo Meier was suspended one game for his knee-on-knee hit on Sweden’s Oskar Sundqvist during Switzerland’s 3-1 quarterfinal win in Zurich on Thursday. He misses Saturday’s semifinal against Norway.
It happened in the second period. Sundqvist had the puck in the neutral zone and tried to step around Meier, who stuck his left leg out and caught the Swede knee-on-knee. Sundqvist went down in a heap and was later wheeled out of the rink in a wheelchair.
Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis posted the clip:
On-ice officials gave Meier only a two-minute minor for cross-checking, which is what set Sweden off. IIHF’s Disciplinary Panel saw it differently a day later, ruling that Meier extended his leg into the contact rather than getting caught off-guard by a Sundqvist cut.
“The Disciplinary Panel determined that this was not a situation where a sudden movement by the opposing player created unavoidable contact. Rather, Meier adjusted to his opponent’s movement and extended his knee, causing direct knee-on-knee contact.”
Sweden was livid in real time. Defenseman Mattias Ekholm was asked about the play after the loss and didn’t mince words:
“Personally, I think it’s a clear knee check.”
Meier has been Switzerland’s best forward in the tournament. Three goals, eight assists, plus-10 through eight games. Losing that for a semifinal stings even against Norway, which has never reached a gold-medal game in the country’s history.
Hischier’s group is 8-0 and chasing Switzerland’s first gold in program history after silvers in 2018, 2024, and 2025. Roman Josi, Pius Suter, and Denis Malgin will have to carry more of the load with Meier in street clothes.
Puck drops at 11:20 a.m. ET in Zurich on Saturday. More Worlds coverage here.
