The inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off got the thrilling finish it deserved Thursday night at TD Garden in Boston.
Just over eight minutes into overtime, Canadian star Connor McDavid sent one past Team USA goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to secure a 3–2 win and a 4 Nations Face-Off title for Canada.
THERE IT IS! THE GAME WINNER! THE TOURNAMENT WINNER! 😱😱😱
CONNOR MCDAVID HAS WON IT FOR CANADA!!! #4Nations pic.twitter.com/nDneA2e26K
A MOMENT THAT CANADA WILL NEVER FORGET 🇨🇦 #4Nations pic.twitter.com/RGHUb6N7ET
McDavid's goal avenged Canada's 3–1 loss to Team USA on Saturday night in the tournament's round robin.
"I know it's just a quick tournament, and it's not an Olympic medal or anything like that. But it means the world to our group," McDavid said on the ESPN broadcast after the game. "Everyone battled so hard all week. It was special."
The highly contested tournament final went into overtime after the two teams exchanged goals in the first two periods. Nathan MacKinnon started the scoring at the 4:38 mark of the first period with his fourth goal of the tournament, and American Brady Tkachuk tied it up off an assist from Auston Matthews about 12 minutes later.
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At the 7:32 mark of the second period, Jake Sanderson gave Team USA its first lead of the game at 2–1, but Canadian Sam Bennett tied it up with a wrister after a perfect feed from Mitch Marner.
MacKinnon was named the MVP of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
After a wildly successful 4 Nations Face-Off tournament that replaced its All-Star Weekend, the NHL will return to the ice Saturday for a full slate of games, beginning with a matchup between the Minnesota Wild and Detroit Red Wings at 12:30 p.m. ET.
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Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.
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