What part of USA’s game should concern Canada?

Set your alarms. Wake up early. There’s no excuse when it comes to Canada vs. USA with an Olympic gold medal on the line. 

While much of North America will be fresh out of bed on Sunday morning, the finale to the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics brings the dream of nearly every hockey fan, with the star-studded Canadian and American squads set to battle at 8:00 a.m. ET. 

On their road to the final, both teams have been dominant, and each looks capable of claiming the honor of Olympic champions. 

In the moments after Canada’s 3-2 win over Finland, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski joined Daily Faceoff Live host Tyler Yaremchuk and The Sheet’s Jeff Marek to break down the entire matchup, including what elements of the USA that Canada should fear. 

Greg Wyshynski: What is the part of Team USA that you’ve seen so far in these Olympics that worries you the most in the matchup against Canada?

Tyler Yaremchuk: It goes back to the strengths I viewed from the start of the tournament. It’s their puck movement, and the way their defense should be able to pretty cleanly get out of the zone and not give Canada the second and, sort of, third opportunities to generate sustained offensive zone pressure. 

Then it’s Connor Hellebuyck, and if he’s just going to wake up and be like, well, today I’m not giving up any goals. I think he’s more capable of being on that level than any other goaltender. 

I look back at that Nick Suzuki goal that tied it up for Canada against Czechia, where, you know, he carries it in, chips it in, goes and gets a loose puck, like a second and a third chance where he is blue line couldn’t get it away from him. I don’t think the American blue line is going to make those kinds of mistakes. If you have a play like that against the USA, it’s going to be Warenski, McAvoy, Hughes, or whoever picks it up, and it’s quickly back the other way. So my concern is that puck movement won’t allow Canada to get many second- and third-chance opportunities. 

You can catch the rest of the Canada vs. Finland post-game show here and check out the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel for more ahead of Sunday’s gold medal showdown.