On February 20th, Team Canada Faced Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off. After Canada lost to team USA 1-3 the previous week, we had to face Finland to advance to the finals. Team Canada prevailed with a 5-3 win. While the US faced Sweden and lost 1-2, the puck dropped at 8pm EST at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The last confrontation between the two teams started out rough with 3 fights, 9 seconds in. Tensions were high between the two teams. Unfortunately, the finals did not have the same start.
The night started off with Canada winning the face-off. Nothing eventful happened and there were a few decent attempts to score by both sides. This was until Nathan MacKinnon, 4:48 minutes into the first period, launched a beautiful snipe which buried the puck in the top left corner. Team USA didn’t back down from this one-goal concession and Brady Tkachuk scored for the United States with 3:08 minutes remaining on the clock. The period ended with Canada’s lead for shots on goal 11-10.
There were shots from both sides during the second period, but Canada had more in numbers until Jake Sanderson put it in the net for Team USA 7:32 minutes into the period. Canada, not backing down so easily like last time, responded with a goal of their own, scored by Sam Bennet, equalizing the game with 6 minutes remaining in the period. At the end of the second period, the amount of shots on goal decreased slightly for both teams, and the total count for both teams was equal, with 19 for each side.
The third period, the one where one team would normally come out victorious and the other defeated, did not decide the outcome of the game that night. 3 minutes into the third period, Jake Guentzel, with no defensemen in front of him, gets the puck at center ice and heads toward Jordan Binnington, the Canadian goalie. He fumbled a nice, clear shot on goal, giving Team Canada a chance to win the game. The pressure was high, with few shots from Canada and double the number for the United States. Ending with a lead in shots by the United States 27-23.
Unlike standard OTs, this final was played with 5 players on each team, with no shout out at the end, meaning that the game goes on 5 on 5 until someone scores and takes everything home. The United States started off strong, with multiple dangerous shots that could have ended the game, but were ultimately stopped by Binnington. It was intense, but it all came down to one shot. With the USA seemingly so close to victory, Connor McDavid, sitting right in between the hash marks in front of the net, gets a pass from Mitch Marner. With a clear shot on goal, Team Canada secures the victory from the United States.
The Blue and White 