BOSTON — It took longer than regulation, but the Canadians found their revenge on the ultimate stage at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Connor McDavid scored 8:18 into overtime on Thursday, propelling Canada to a 3-2 win over the United States in the championship game of the inaugural best-on-best tournament.
The Edmonton Oilers star received Mitch Marner’s centering feed and buried a wrist shot from the slot to score the golden goal, his third tally of the tournament.
“Mitchy made a great, great play,” McDavid said. “I just couldn’t believe it, really. Just excited for our group, honestly. Everyone was so dug in. … It’s been a big production, so it’s sweet to have it all come together. … We just found a way, in a tough building, to get it done.”
Marner assisted on Canada’s final two goals. Sam Bennett scored the tying marker with six minutes left in the second period.
Nathan MacKinnon opened the scoring for Canada by recording his tournament-leading fourth goal. He was selected the event’s MVP.
“Everyone played with their talent, but they all played with the mentality of fourth-liners. They did,” Canadian coach Jon Cooper said. “Egos, there were none. And guys like (McDavid and MacKinnon) could stroll in and say, ‘Give me this, give me that.’ Never. … That’s what was special about this team.”
Jordan Binnington made 31 saves in the Canadian net, including six in overtime.
Binnington was spectacular while denying a U.S. surge early in the extra session, including a stop on Auston Matthews’ drive to the doorstep at 2:51. Less than two minutes later, the St. Louis Blues goalie stopped another Matthews shot, then saved Brady Tkachuk’s rebound chance.
Despite Canada’s goaltending position being scrutinized entering the tournament, Binnington rewarded Cooper for his confidence with an incredible performance when it mattered most.
“He saved his best for last,” Cooper said. “That’s what winners do. And there was no chance that I was not going to back the winner.”
Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson netted back-to-back goals to lead the U.S. out of an early 1-0 deficit. Matthews assisted on both.
U.S. goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stopped 24 shots.
It was the North American archrivals’ first best-on-best championship meeting since the gold-medal game of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics — also won by Canada 3-2 in overtime. The U.S. earned a 3-1 victory over Canada in the teams’ round-robin clash on Saturday in Montreal.
The game and the tournament served as an incredible precursor to the Olympics next February in Milan, Italy.
“I think it was really important to get a feel for it. Definitely felt like a little kid coming into this tournament,” MacKinnon said. “A year from now, it’ll be a lot more comfortable for everybody.”
MacKinnon scored first 4:48 in, receiving Thomas Harley’s pass from the left point and curling into the slot to send a shot into heavy traffic and past Hellebuyck’s blocker.
Before the United States tied the score, Hellebuyck made several high-quality saves, including two on Bennett during a net-mouth scramble with 6:19 left in the first. A minute earlier, Binnington stopped Dylan Larkin on a partial breakaway.
Tkachuk made it 1-1 with 3:08 before the first intermission, beating Binnington after he charged down the slot to take Matthews’ wraparound feed.
After Zach Werenski’s point shot was saved, Matthews picked up the rebound and a deflection led the puck to the stick of Sanderson, who snapped home the United States’ go-ahead tally at 7:32 of the second.
In the end, the Americans could not find another goal.
“I think everybody in this room gave 100 percent, and it’s obviously really disappointing when you don’t feel rewarded for sacrificing your body for the guy next to you,” Tkachuk said. “I just think this moment can really motivate us going into (the Olympics) next year.”
The Canadians were not deterred following an empty power play, and Bennett knotted the score at 14:00 of the second. After Marner picked off an errant puck in neutral ice, Bennett drove down the left wing and lifted the puck top-shelf on Hellebuyck.
In the third, Binnington made multiple point-blank stops on Jake Guentzel in the opening minutes before Canada nearly took the lead back at 5:29 as a Brandon Hagel redirect clanked the left post.
Hellebuyck flashed his glove to stop Cale Makar’s shot with 5.6 seconds remaining in regulation.
“It was a pretty even hockey game where both teams had momentum at different times. I thought it was an incredible display of hockey on both sides,” U.S. coach Mike Sullivan said. “This is the very best of the best out there. There was no room to make plays, just a commitment to play defense.”
–Joshua Kummins, Field Level Media
