4 Nations Face-Off: Top standouts as Canada advances to championship after beating Finland
Canada will meet with the United States to close out the 4 Nations Face-Off on Thursday after beating Finland 5-3 in the first game in Boston on Monday afternoon.
Canada will look to avenge its 3-1 loss to the United States from the weekend, with puck drop set for after 8:00 PM ET at TD Garden. Finland, meanwhile, finishes the tournament with two points after beating Sweden in overtime on Saturday.
Sweden’s game later tonight against the United States will not matter for championship purposes, but they will look to end the tournament on a high note. Recording just one point will push them past Finland for third in the final standings.
It all started at 4:13 when Connor McDavid circled around the Finnish zone before firing a low shot on Kevin Lankinen down low. Less than a minute later, Nathan MacKinnon rushed in off of a Sam Reinhart feed and beat Lankinen, putting the Finns on their heels early. It didn’t get much better for the Finns, as a backhand rebound goal at 13:02 from Brayden Point made it 3-0 – a lead Canada was never going to back down from.
The Finns just couldn’t get anything going, and it only got worse for them. At 5:03, MacKinnon took Sidney Crosby’s feed near the net and beat Lankinen, making it 4-0 Canada. Lankinen was pulled in favor of Juuse Saros to finish the game.
Esa Lindell would score the team’s final goal of the tournament with 6:41 left to go for good measure. At the time, it looked like the Finns were done. But suddenly, two goals from Mikael Granlund with two minutes to go got Finland back in it, triggering a near-comeback effort. Unfortunately for them, an empty-net goal from Sidney Crosby in the final minute ended the game, securing the win for Canada.
Here’s a look at the top performers from Monday afternoon’s affair:
Canada
#97 Connor McDavid, C (Edmonton Oilers): With a goal and an assist in the first period, McDavid had his best game of the tournament. It seemed like his new winger, Point, gave the right guy to get the puck to after some missed steps with Mitch Marner. McDavid hasn’t had a Sidney Crosby breakthrough game yet in best-on-best competition, but it’s good to see McDavid rise to the occasion in a game like this.
#29 Nathan MacKinnon, C (Colorado Avalanche): MacKinnon was also at his best today, scoring twice after having a quiet showing against the United States. He was in a great spot to help make the 2-0 goal happen, and then took a beautiful feed from his Tim Hortons buddy, Crosby, on the 4-0 marker.
#8 Cale Makar, D (Colorado Avalanche): Makar didn’t look out of place in the slightest after missing the game on Saturday. He moved well, made some creative plays and even got physical at points. Just having him back on Canada brings an element that nobody else can – he’s so dynamic and dangerous with and without the puck. Canada needs him to bring that same energy on Thursday.
#71 Anthony Cirelli, C (Tampa Bay Lightning): He’s not flashy and doesn’t get a ton of attention, but it felt like another solid game from the Bolts forward. Cirelli was hard on forechecks, skated well and brought a ton of energy. In a bottom-six role, he can be a nightmare matchup for anybody. I thought he was good against USA, but this was a better showing – especially as the game wore on.
#50 Jordan Binnington, G (St. Louis Blues): Binnington’s high-danger save percentage heading into today was second in the tournament. His ability to stay strong on low- and medium-danger chances, though, was not ideal. Today, he was excellent, and while he allowed three goals in the final seven minutes, the Canadian defenders did give Finland some grade-A chances – especially with the Finnish net empty. Maybe it was a good omen that it came in the same building where he won the 2019 Stanley Cup. Canada will need another performance like today if they’re going to win it all on Thursday.
Finland
#16 Aleksander Barkov, C (Florida Panthers): The Finns didn’t have much to be excited about today, but Barkov still leave it his all at both ends. He’s the type of star player who never gives up on a play and brings a full effort no matter what. I thought he made some good plays on the power play and generally was one of Finland’s better playdrivers. He also helped create the third goal at 58:42 for good measure.
#64 Mikael Granlund, LW (Dallas Stars): With two goals in the final three minutes, Granlund came alive. Finland controlled the puck with their net empty, and Granlund made no mistake on two excellent shots. It didn’t matter in the end, but that energy with two minutes to go was exactly what the Finns needed.
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