Johnson and Brown help USA get off to fast start

Team USA won both its opening games at the IIHF World Championships in Switzerland, thanks in part to the efforts of a couple Kings players.

Defenseman Jack Johnson scored twice in USA's 4-2 victory over Latvia on Saturday and forward Dustin Brown notched a goal and two assists in the Americans' 6-1 shellacking of Austria today. Former Kings Patrick O'Sullivan and Jason Blake also scored against Austria.

Of course, USA's first real test of the 16-team tournament will come Wednesday in the second round against Sweden. It's not a must-win situation for the Americans, but a victory over the Swedes could say a lot about its medal chances.

-- Austin Knoblauch

Photo: Team USA defenseman Jack Johnson, right, pokes the puck away from Austrian forward Thomas Vanek as Dustin Brown, left, looks on during an IIHF World Championship game today. Credit: Helmut Fohringer / EPA