Skill, physicality to be on display in rivalry game; Makar game-time decision
© Andre Ringuette and Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
4 Nations Face-Off, Bell Centre, Montreal
8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS
MONTREAL — Charlie McAvoy was asked what makes the hockey rivalry between the United States and Canada special.
“Everything that’s come before us,” the U.S. defenseman said. “What we’ve grown up watching and for a lot of us what we’ve played in, whether it’s World Juniors or other events. It just doesn’t get any better than this.”
McAvoy’s Boston Bruins’ teammate Brad Marchand answered it this way.
“There’s no bigger rivalry than Canada-U.S. in hockey,” the Canada forward said. “They’re the games that everybody dreams about playing growing up. They’re memories that will last a lifetime. We’re all really looking forward to it. Can’t come quick enough.”
It’s happening Saturday night at Bell Centre, Canada and the United States in the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The Canadians haven’t lost to the U.S., or any country, in best-on-best competition since Feb. 21, 2010, when the U.S. won 5-3 in the qualification round of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Canada got its revenge in the gold-medal game with Sidney Crosby scoring the golden goal in overtime for a 3-2 win. Canada has won 26 straight best-on-best international tournament games with Crosby in the lineup.
“They’re big and strong up the middle,” Canada center Connor McDavid said of the U.S. “They’ve got great centermen. Their back end is solid. They’re like us. They’ve got great players all over. It’s two great teams going at it. Should make for entertaining hockey.”
The United States is coming off a 6-1 win against Finland on Thursday, when Brady and Matthew Tkachuk each scored two goals and Zach Werenski had three assists.
Canada defeated Sweden 4-3 on Wednesday with Mitch Marner scoring 6:06 into the overtime. Crosby had three assists, including on Marner’s goal.
Cale Makar (illness) is a gametime decision for Canada. The defenseman participated in the morning skate Saturday after missing practice Friday with an illness. If he can’t play, Canada will be allowed to add Thomas Harley (Dallas Stars) to its roster and insert him into the lineup.
Harley is in Montreal and skated after Makar left the ice Saturday.
With a regulation win, the United States would guarantee its spot in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game at TD Garden in Boston on Thursday. An overtime or shootout win could also get the U.S. into the final if Sweden loses to Finland in regulation.
Canada will clinch a spot in the final if it wins in regulation and Finland loses to Sweden in any fashion.
“This is probably the most exciting matchup of the tournament,” Canada defenseman Drew Doughty said.
NHL.com writers preview Sweden vs. Finland, USA vs. Canada on Saturday
Here are 3 keys to the game:
The Canadians played more of a skill game against Sweden led by Crosby. That plays to more of their identity.
The Americans played more of a physical, banging bodies type of game against Finland, led by Brady and Matthew Tkachuk. That style plays more to their identity.
But Canada knows its going to be a heavier game against the United States, which is likely why Sam Bennett is going into the lineup, replacing Travis Konecny, to center a line that will also feature Brad Marchand and Seth Jarvis.
That line could be an answer to the Tkachuk brothers and Jack Eichel. Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, Bennett’s teammate with the Florida Panthers, were moved to Eichel’s wings in the second period against Finland and they dominated.
Brady and Matthew each had two goals, combining for three in the third period. Eichel had two assists.
“It’ll be interesting if Sam and Matthew meet in a corner,” Canada coach Jon Cooper said.
Canada is sticking with Jordan Binnington, who made 23 saves in the win against Sweden. However, he gave up two goals on 10 shots in the third period, allowing the Swedes to come back from 3-1 down to force overtime.
He likely will have to be better than he was against Sweden for Canada to defeat the U.S.
The U.S., unsurprisingly, is sticking with Connor Hellebuyck, who gave up a goal to Henri Jokiharju on the second shot he faced 7:31 into the first period against Finland, but stopped the next 19 shots in the 6-1 win.
Hellebuyck will undoubtedly be tested more by Canada than he was Finland.
The one thing the Americans know they can not do, especially early in the game, is allow their physicality to get the better of them, putting the Canadians on the power play.
They want to play to their identity, which means being fast and aggressive, but Sweden found out the hard way what giving Canada a power play early in the game can do.
It took 12 seconds for a power play that features Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sam Reinhart and Cale Makar to strike. McDavid to Crosby to Mackinnon and into the back of the net.
“It’s a controlled aggression,” McAvoy said. “You don’t want to just be running around and putting yourself out of position. When it’s there it’s there, and you’ll know when to take it. We want to be playing hard. As a ‘D’ corps, we want to be playing physical and hard and trying to limit time and space as much as we can.
“It’s like playoff hockey. That’s probably the best thing I can compare it to when you’re just trying to tow that line in a pivotal game in the playoffs. You know you can’t cross it, take a penalty and put your team in a tough spot. You have to read the game and that’s what we’ll do.”
Canada, Finland, Sweden, United States go head-to-head Feb. 12-20 in Montreal, Boston
United States projected lineup
Brady Tkachuk — Jack Eichel — Matthew Tkachuk
Jake Guentzel — Auston Matthews — Jack Hughes
J.T. Miller — Dylan Larkin — Matt Boldy
Brock Nelson — Vincent Trocheck — Kyle Connor
Zach Werenski — Charlie McAvoy
Noah Hanifin — Adam Fox
Jaccob Slavin — Brock Faber
Connor Hellebuyck
Jake Oettinger
Scratched: Chris Kreider, Jake Sanderson, Jeremy Swayman
Injured: None
Canada projected lineup
Sam Reinhart — Connor McDavid — Mitch Marner
Sidney Crosby — Nathan MacKinnon — Mark Stone
Brandon Hagel — Anthony Cirelli — Brayden Point
Brad Marchand — Sam Bennett — Seth Jarvis
Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Josh Morrissey — Colton Parayko
Travis Sanheim — Drew Doughty
Jordan Binnington
Adin Hill
Scratched: Travis Konecny, Samuel Montembeault
Injured: Shea Theodore (upper body)
Status report
The U.S. will start with the same forward lines and defense pairs it switched to during the second period against Finland. … Bennett will replace Konecny, a forward. Sanheim replaces Theodore, who is out for the tournament after sustaining an upper-body injury in the second period against Sweden.
