4 Nations Face-Off: Top standouts as Canada wins gold over United States
Canada has won gold at the 4 Nations Face-Off after beating the United States 3-2 in a thrilling overtime fight at TD Gardens in Boston.
The win is Canada’s fourth-straight gold in best-on-best international competition dating back to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. Notably, Sidney Crosby was part of all four gold medals in that span.
One thing that made Connor Hellebuyck so dangerous was his perfect record at stopping shots when he isn’t screened. But unfortunately for him, he was screened by four players at 4:48 when Nathan MacKinnon’s shot beat four players in front of the net to make it 1-0 Canada. The lead would last until 16:52, when Brady Tkachuk knocked in a chance from Auston Matthews to make it 1-1, tying what was an excellent start to the game.
USA would take the lead at 7:32. After some good pressure by the Americans, Jake Sanderson – Charlie McAvoy’s fill-in – would beat Binnington with a snapshot to make it 2-1. Canada looked a bit antsy over the next five or so minutes, but Sam Bennett would ultimately beat Hellebuyck up high to make it a 2-2 game at 34:00.
For a game this intense, all you could ask for was a tied game heading down the stretch. So how about some overtime? Binnington made two outstanding glove saves about five minutes into the overtime, giving Canada some life after the Americans laid on the pressure. Eventually, after some great goaltending at both ends and some creative play throughout, Connor McDavid would beat Hellebuyck to finish the game and help Canada win the first ever 4 Nations Face-Off gold medal.
Here’s a look at the top standouts from Thursday’s title fight:
Canada
#48 Thomas Harley, D (Dallas Stars): Harley was a late replacement for Josh Morrissey and he didn’t disappoint. He plays with so much confidence, and he set up MacKinnon on the 1-0 goal for good measure. For someone who played two games, Harley was truly one of Canada’s most effective blueliners – he played with so much assertiveness and poise.
#9 Sam Bennett, C (Florida Panthers): For the record, Bennett was on this before he scored – but that didn’t hurt. Canada’s fourth line had its best game of the tournament and Bennett was the biggest reason why. He landed some hits, took scoring lanes away and played with significant speed. It was like watching him from the Stanley Cup final again – fearless and energetic.
#24 Seth Jarvis, RW (Carolina Hurricanes): Jarvis started the game with a big hit on Jaccob Slavin and then kept that energy up the rest of the way. He didn’t play a ton of tough matchups but the puck made its way into the American zone more often than not with him on the ice. That’s all you can ask for from him after sitting out for Travis Konecny earlier in the tourney.
#5 Devon Toews, D (Colorado Avalanche): While Makar was more of the high-risk, high-reward option on Canada’s top line, Toews did an outstanding job of keeping the puck away from the Canadian net. He’s so defensively sound and rarely gets caught making a bad play. I think Toews might have been Canada’s most consistent defenseman from start to finish.
#97 Connor McDavid, C (Edmonton Oilers): When the Canadians needed him most, he delivered. McDavid finally slayed the demon and score the biggest goal of his career – NHL or international – with an outstanding wrister in the slot. He was so good in the overtime, and it was only a matter of time until he was rewarded.
USA
#7 Brady Tkachuk, LW (Ottawa Senators): We’ve never seen Tkachuk play a more important game, and he brought the energy you’re looking for. He scored the game-tying goal late in the first period after battling hard around the crease – a well-deserved effort. Tkachuk entered the game battling an illness, but you couldn’t tell with the way he played – he was as energetic and spirited as we’ve seen him.
#34 Auston Matthews, C (Toronto Maple Leafs): Matthews was one of the Americans who needed a huge showing after a so-so-opening two games. So, when he nabbed his second assist of the night – both on goals from Senators players – it was clear he came to play. It was easily his most involved game of the tournament – even in his own zone.
#14 Brock Faber, D (Minnesota Wild): Faber had an excellent night, doing a great job of getting the puck out on the rush and keeping Canada to the perimeter. That was always going to be the key to beating Canada, and it felt like Faber was the best at making sure Canada couldn’t cut through the middle. He’s known for his two-way play, but I was more impressed with how defensively dominant he was in his zone.
#9 Jack Eichel, C (Vegas Golden Knights): Eichel makes so many high IQ plays in tight situations. He doesn’t need to be flashy to be effective – he just knows where his linemates are always going to be. Setting up the Tkachuk brothers definitely isn’t a tough task, but Eichel had a few really good high-danger plays in the offensive zone that could have easily changed the course of the game. And that’s been the story
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