USA vs. Canada. Part II.
The championship game everyone anticipated and hoped for is now officially happening after Canada held on for a 5-3 victory over Finland in the penultimate round robin game on Monday afternoon at TD Garden.
Canada’s regulation victory earned them the second and final spot in the title game, while officially eliminating Sweden and Finland in the process.
The United States plays in the final round robin matchup this evening against Sweden, who’s coming off of a 4-2 overtime loss against Finland over the weekend.
It will be a different look for USA tonight, who are going with Jake Oettinger in net and Chris Kreider and Jake Sanderson in the starting lineup in place of Charlie McAvoy and Matthew Tkachuk, with the Panthers’ two-way star leaving in the third period with a lower body injury against Canada on Saturday night but is expected to play in the title game.
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USA vs. Sweden:What channel is USA vs Sweden game? NHL 4 Nations Face-Off time, TV schedule and prediction
Saturday’s U.S.-Canada game was appointment television in every single facet imaginable.
After loud boos reigned throughout the Bell Centre during the United States national anthem and Connor McDavid scoring the opening goal five minutes in to give Canada an early 1-0 lead, USA scored three unanswered goals to give the U.S. its first win over its northern neighbors since the 2010 Winter Olympics with a 3-1 victory.
The 60 minutes of hockey featured everything: three fights in the first nine seconds, highlight reel goals and saves and some massive hits delivered from both sides on the NHL’s biggest stars.
There’s one massive change that could swing the momentum in Canada’s favor in Boston on Thursday night.
More:NHL 4 Nations Face-Off: Schedule, rosters, TV channel and how to stream
When these two teams meet again in the championship game, there will be one noticeable addition wearing a red sweater: Cale Makar.
After missing the first meeting with an illness, Canada’s top defenseman will be back for the second go around after logging nearly 24 minutes of ice time and blocking four shots and attempting four more on net in his return versus Finland.
While Makar hasn’t recorded a point yet in two games, he’s easily one of the top-three defenseman in the NHL right now, and currently leads the league at his position with 63 points in 60 games and is tied for the 13th most points in the NHL among all forwards and defensemen.
Expect the United States to have a tougher time both offensively and defensively now that Makar is back in the lineup.
TV: ESPN
The USA vs Canada championship game will broadcast on ESPN.
United States vs Canada 4 Nations Face-Off title contest starts at 8 p.m. from TD Garden.
Streaming options for the USA-Finland 4 Nations Face-Off championship matchup includes ESPN+.
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