Mike Knuble scored two goals and goalie Rick DiPietro faced only 15 shots in US' 7-0 rout of Slovenia on Sunday, the opening game for both teams at ice hockey's World Championship.
In the early game in Vienna, the Czech Republic scored three power-play goals and beat Switzerland 3-1.
Sweden, the 2003 and 2004 runner-up, escaped with a 3-2 win over Ukraine behind Daniel Alfredsson's winner in Innsbruck while Kazakhstan beat Germany 2-1 in the other late game in Vienna.
The US welcomed Slovenia, a newcomer to international hockey's top-level annual event, with a goal by Knuble 31 seconds after the opening faceoff.
It was one of the fastest goals in the history of the worlds, but not for Knuble, an eight-year National Hockey League veteran who played with Sweden's Linkoping this past season.
"In the NHL I had two goals in the first 27 seconds, set a record once there for the fastest two goals in a game," Knuble said.
"I could have had a hat trick [today], but I never get hat tricks so I wasn't expecting one."
Knuble, named the player of the game for the US, had a great chance to make it 2-0 six minutes after his opening goal. But Slovenia goalie Robert Kristan thwarted Knuble with a pad save on a breakaway.
Knuble, who scored 20 goals or more in his previous two seasons with the Boston Bruins, scored 26 goals in 49 games with Linkoping this year.
In Vienna's Stadthalle, Vaclav Prospal and Jaromir Jagr converted on a pair of power plays in the first 7:31 of the game and the Czech Republic easily handled Switzerland.
Severin Blindenbacher also scored on a power play midway through the first but Frantisek Kaberle restored the two-goal advantage early in the third on another man-advantage.
The Czechs outshot the Swiss 41-23.
Alfredsson, who led Frolunda to the Swedish league title this season, beat Ukraine's goalie Kostyantyn Simchuk to the glove side with a wrister from the slot at 10:08 to clinch Sweden's victory.
Sweden, missing national team stalwarts Peter Forsberg, Mats Sundin and Markus Naslund, led on first-period goals by Magnus Kahnberg and Kenny Jonsson. Ukraine rallied in the second.
Sweden outshot Ukraine 48-17.
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