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Connor McDavid scored the game-winning goal in overtime for Canada, lifting them to a 3-2 victory over Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off Championship Game.
Nathan MacKinnon opened the scoring for Canada early in the first period, firing a wrister through traffic and beating Connor Hellebuyck up high. Team USA tied the game late in the first after Brady Tkachuk cleaned up an Auston Matthews wraparound attempt.
The United States took the lead near the midway point of the second period as Jake Sanderson flicked in a rebound to cap off a hectic sequence. Canada equalized with six minutes remaining in the second on a precise Sam Bennett shot from close range.
After a scoreless third period, this intense finale went to overtime where Connor McDavid became the hero. He broke free in the slot before beating Hellebuyck and stunning the Americans.
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How Connor McDavid, Jordan Binnington lifted Canada to 4 Nations title over U.S.: Takeaways
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Team USA, riding the surge of three first-period fights in the opening nine seconds, claimed a 3-1 win over Team Canada on Saturday at the Bell Centre. Matthew Tkachuk started the fisticuffs against Brandon Hagel. Brother Brady Tkachuk followed with a tilt against Sam Bennett. J.T. Miller completed the set by fighting Colton Parayko.
According to Brady Tkachuk, he and his brother were among the participants in a Saturday group chat that discussed the possibility of off-the-drop fisticuffs. Matthew Tkachuk started it by asking Hagel to fight. Matthew said:
💬 “Had to send a message. We’re here in Montreal on a Saturday night. We want it to be our time. That’s the message sent right from the get-go.”
Brady felt like he had no choice but to follow:
💬 “Matthew’s fight to start it off was just such an energy boost. I was more excited, more nervous than my own. Then Millsy to cap it off, to (go) against a big guy like that, he did a great job. It was a pretty awesome experience.”
Jake Guentzel does not get involved in such confrontations. Nevertheless, he enjoyed it:
💬 “That was just unbelievable. The start of the game, that was pretty electric, getting the fans into it. Hats off to those guys. It just gets you into the game. You’re already into the game, but just seeing those guys go out like that, that was pretty cool. Everyone just ramped up even more.”
GO FURTHER
How Team USA beat Canada to clinch berth in 4 Nations Face-Off final: Takeaways
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After round-robin play, here are the final standings entering the 4 Nations Face-Off Championship Game.
Canada needed to beat Finland in regulation to clinch a spot in the tournament final in their last game, and they did so despite a late push from the Finns.
After beating Canada in their second game of round-robin play, Team USA had already clinched a spot in the championship — making their loss to Sweden on Monday inconsequential.
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After beginning in Montreal, the the 4 Nations Face-Off shifted to the United States and will conclude at TD Garden in Boston.
TD Garden is the home of the Boston Bruins in the NHL. For hockey games, the Garden has a capacity of 17,850.
We’d love to hear from you throughout our coverage today.
You can get involved by emailing livebloguk@theathletic.com
We’ll be featuring some of your comments throughout the night, so let us know your thoughts…
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The 4 Nations Face-Off Championship Game will air on ESPN and stream on both ESPN+ and Disney+.
In Canada, the game is available on Sportsnet.
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Tonight’s 4 Nations Face-Off Championship Game is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET with puck drop closer to 8:20 p.m. ET.
That’s 5:20 p.m. PT and 1:20 a.m. in the UK.
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Hello hockey fans and welcome to The Athletic’s live coverage of the United States vs Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off Championship Game at TD Garden in Boston.
The two rivals will take the ice just five days after a heated round-robin contest, won by the U.S., that included three fights in the first nine seconds of game time. But this time, the tournament title is on the line.
Follow along for live updates.
