McDavid scores overtime winner as Canada defeat United States in 4 Nations Face-Off final
Canada remains on top of the hockey world with a dramatic overtime victory over the United States.
Nine years after the last best-on-best men’s international hockey tournament, Canada remained on top of the pile on Thursday night, beating the United States in Boston to win the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Canada found several early goals across this tournament, and that continued in the championship game, with Nathan MacKinnon opening the scoring at the 4:48 mark of the first period. After receiving the puck from Thomas Harley along the left wall, MacKinnon drifted backwards and along the blue line. He ended up throwing a wrist shot through a crowd of bodies, beating the red-hot Connor Hellebuyck to make it 1-0.
Canada kept its foot on the gas pedal after the goal, peppering the American netminder with shots, but MacKinnon’s opener would be the only tally of the first period for the team wearing red. Jordan Binnington made several stops in the Canadian net as well, including denying a breakaway goal from Dylan Larkin.
Just when it seemed as though Canada would close out the period up a goal, Brady Tkachuk tied things up for the Americans. The Ottawa Senators captain received a pass in front of goal from Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews, redirecting it past Binnington from close range to tie things up after 20 minutes.
The two teams fired ten shots each at one another in a back-and-forth opening frame, while the physicality from the first game between these teams on Saturday night was evident as well.
Tkachuk’s fellow Ottawa Senator, defenceman Jake Sanderson, gave the Americans the lead seven-and-a-half minutes into the second period, on another goal created by crowding the area in front of Binnington. Sanderson picked up the rebound of a shot from Matthews and buried it past the Canadian goalie to put his side in front, and giving Matthews his second assist of the night and third of the tournament.
The lead didn’t last long for the Americans, though, as Sam Bennett — who fought Tkachuk in the first game between these teams on Saturday night — tied things up for the Canadians about seven minutes later. Bennett jumped onto the ice and poked the puck free in front of the benches, where it was collected by Mitch Marner.
Marner brought it over the blue line and cut to his right, before passing the puck left to the rushing Bennett, who roofed the puck into the top left corner with an inch-perfect shot.
As the buzzer sounded at TD Garden to signal the end of the second period the tension continued to build between both sets of fans and the teams themselves. After Bennett’s equalizer and into the start of the third period, both sides continued to push for goals, but there seemed to be moments where they were playing it safe and trying to avoid making the fatal mistake.
The closer the clock ticked toward the end of the final frame, the more it felt like one goal would be all it takes to win the championship. Eventually the clock turned to zeroes, still tied at two goals apiece, meaning overtime would be needed to decide the winner — mirroring the scenario after sixty minutes in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic final between these same teams.
After a bit of a shaky tournament, Binnington was lights out in overtime, robbing both Matthews and Tkachuk of what would have been the tournament-winning goals.
While it was number 87, Sidney Crosby, who was the hero in overtime in Vancouver, it was number 97, Connor McDavid, who stepped up on Thursday night in Boston. McDavid won a faceoff in front of the American net before positioning himself in the slot. Cale Makar sent the puck around the boards to Marner, who found McDavid in front of the net, and he fired the puck past Hellebuyck to win the game.
McDavid wheeled away in celebration, quickly met by the entire Canadian squad as they came pouring off the bench to join him.
After two feisty, intense games between Canada and the States, the two sides showed respect to each other in the handshake line as is tradition, before captain Crosby was presented with the 4 Nations Face-Off trophy.
The 4 Nations Face-Off came with a year to go until the Olympics in Milan, where these sides are expected to be favourites again to take the gold medal as NHL players return to the Olympics. The OT hero McDavid said after the game that their focus turns immediately to doing it all again next February.
MacKinnon won the tournament MVP award after scoring a tournament-leading four goals and scoring in the deciding game.
True North Player of the Game:
Connor McDavid, Canada
McDavid was the hero for Canada in overtime, sniping the puck past Connor Hellebuyck to seal the 4 Nations Face-Off trophy.
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