Connor McDavid scores game-winning goal as Canada beats USA to win 4 Nations Face-Off championship

It was tense. It was exciting. It was the perfect end to the first best-on-best hockey tournament in almost nine years.

Almost five years to the day that Sidney Crosby was the hero for Canada at the 2010 Olympics, Connor McDavid received his signature moment. The Edmonton Oilers captain scored the game-winning goal in overtime at TD Garden in Boston on Thursday night, as Canada beat the United States 3-2 to claim ultimate victory in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

In a wild and exhilarating game, an extra frame was necessary. Just past the eight-minute mark of the overtime, Canada forward Mitch Marner found McDavid open in the slot, and the Richmond Hill, Ontario native rifled a shot over the shoulder of American netminder Connor Hellebuyck for the winner.

The tally was McDavid’s third of the tournament and second against the U.S.

It almost didn’t make it to that point. The U.S. swarmed the Canadian net for long stretches of the game, especially in overtime. However, goaltender Jordan Binnington made several ten-bell saves, including highway robbery on both Auston Matthews and Brady Tkachuk.

Binnington ended up making 31 saves in the win. The St. Louis Blues netminder, who turned back the clock to the 2019 Stanley Cup Final on Thursday Night, played in all four games for Canada, posting a 2.37 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage.

It is the eighth time that Canada has won it all in a best-on-best tournament. They have won three straight events dating back to 2010. The Winter Olympics in Vancouver was one of now four times that the Canadians have beaten the Americans in a best-on-best.

The Canadians were able to avenge their loss in the round-robin, losing 3-1 to the U.S. last Saturday at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

Just like last Saturday’s game, Canada jumped out in front in the first period. Nathan MacKinnon scored his tournament-leading fourth goal just before the five-minute mark of the contest.

Canada scored first in all four games at the 4 Nations Face-Off, while the U.S. gave up the first goal in each contest.

However, the lead didn’t make it to the first intermission, thanks to Brady Tkachuk tipping in an Auston Matthews feed with just a couple of minutes left in the frame. The Americans managed to take the lead later in the second period with his first of the tournament.

However, just as the United States did in the first period, Canada was able to even the score in the latter half of the stanza, as Mitch Marner set up Sam Bennett’s first goal of the 4 Nations.

Canada ends the event with a 3-1 record, as they also beat Finland and Sweden in the round-robin. The U.S. went 2-2 in the tournament, losing both games in Boston as they also fell to Sweden this past Monday night.