Saturday night saw easily the most exciting game of the 4 Nations Face-Off as Team USA defeated Rick Tocchet and Team Canada 3-1. Despite taking a 1-0 lead in the first, Canada allowed three straight goals before falling to the Americans. With the regulation loss, Canada is now tied with Finland and Sweden, who each have two points, while the USA, who currently have six points, secure their spot in the championship game on February 20.
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A Peek Into The 4 Nations Face-Off
Canada versus USA lived up to the hype from the opening faceoff. Within the first nine seconds of the game, there were three fights, including former Vancouver Canucks center taking on Canadian defender Colton Parayko. Unsurprisingly, both Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk dropped the gloves for the Americans, taking on Canadians Brandon Hagel and Sam Bennett.
While the only fights from the game occurred in the first nine seconds, this was a physical matchup from start to finish. The teams combined for 63 hits, with 28 of the 36 skaters recording at least one. There were also constant scrums in front of the net after whistles, showing just how heated this rivalry was.
From a Team Canada perspective, there are a few reasons why they failed to pick up a win against Team USA. The biggest was goaltender Jordan Binnington, who allowed two weak goals in this game. While he did stop 20 of 22 shots, he struggled once again, with many online calling for the Canadians to switch to Adin Hill for their matchup against Finland on Monday.
The other issue was Canada’s inability to create high-danger chances. While the Canadians did get 25 shots on Connor Hellebuyck, the majority were from distance, which allowed the Winnipeg Jets goaltender to get set before the shot came through. That being said, the Americans deserve a lot of credit for their defensive game, as they were able to limit Canada’s offence in the third period.
With Canada’s loss in regulation, Monday’s game against Finland becomes a crucial must-win in regulation. Since both Sweden and Finland also have two points, if Canada wins in overtime against Finland and Sweden defeats the USA in regulation, the final will be Sweden taking on the USA. In short, Canada needs some big performances from Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid if they want to book their spot in the final and get some revenge on the Americans.
The 4 Nations Face-Off resumes on Monday, where all four teams will play their final round-robin game of the tournament. Canada will face Finland at 10 am PT, while Sweden will take on the USA at 5:00 pm PT. Both games will be played in Boston at TD Garden and will be available on Sportsnet.
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