BUFFALO — What was that about Switzerland having no chance against Canada?

Two days after head coach Christian Wohlwend laughed off any possibility that Switzerland might manage an upset win in the quarter-final because their opponent “can shoot better, they can pass better — they can do everything better,” Canada proved him right in a one-sided 8-2 win on Tuesday.

Canada will next play the Czech Republic in the semifinal on Thursday, where another blowout is expected as the team makes what should be an easy march back to the championship final.

This time, it’s not a mind game. It’s the reality.

Though Canada did not play the Czech Republic in the preliminary round, the two teams met in a pre-tournament exhibition, with Canada winning 9-0. The Czechs did not have their entire roster for that game and had just landed in Canada, but it’s still not an overstatement to suggest Canada is once again the overwhelming favourite.

Based on Canada’s play at this year’s tournament, you could say that about just about any of the teams they might face.

Canada’s roster might be have started out as a no-name team devoid of top-end superstars, but it has been a dominant no-name team. Excluding an overtime shootout loss to the U.S played outdoors in a snow storm, there haven’t been any weak spots in Canada’s game.

Drake Batherson scored twice against Switzerland, while Canada also received goals from Cale Makar, Brett Howden, Jordan Kyrou, Conor Timmins, Dillon Dube and Maxime Comtois. After five games, Canada is outscoring its opponent 28-7. Even the defence, which looked like it might be a concern after the Montreal Canadiens’ Victor Mete missed the quarter-final with an undisclosed injury, has gotten better with each game.

Some thought the Swiss coach’s pronouncement was a tactic and he was trying to get the Canadians to underestimate its opponent. But it turns out he was begging for mercy.

This might not have been as big a blowout as their 8-1 pre-tournament win against Switzerland. But it was still a vicious beatdown. The ice was still wet when Howden scored 48 seconds after the opening faceoff. By the end of the first period, Canada was leading 3-0 and outshooting Switzerland 19-5.

Fortunately for Switzerland, Canada stepped off the gas in the second half of the game. After Canada’s fifth goal at 7:24 of the second period, Switzerland changed goalies. It provided a minor spark, with Dario Rohrbach redirecting a point shot from Simon le Coultre to make it 5-1.

Switzerland added another while short-handed in the third period. But by then, the game was done. Even with their fourth liners on the ice, Canada couldn’t help but find the back of the net. Canada outshot the Swiss 60-15.

As the Swiss coach had predicted, Canada dominated again. Expect more of the same in the semis.

• Email: mtraikos@postmedia.com | Twitter: @Michael_Traikos