4 Nations Face-Off final Canada defeated the United States 3-2, and Connor McDavid secured his place in Canadian hockey history with a golden goal at 8:18 of overtime on Thursday in Boston.
Each team scored a goal in each of the first two periods, which ended in a draw. The Canadians’ goals in regulation came from Nathan MacKinnon and Sam Bennett, while Marner provided two assists. Jordan Binnington, who was excellent, made 31 saves.
MacKinnon was named tournament MVP, and McDavid was named game MVP.
But Tkachuk did much more than just score a goal in the second period. He set the tone for the game and delivered several big-time hits, making him maybe the most physically fit player for the Americans.
Jake Sanderson gave Team USA the lead in the second period, but Sam Bennett quickly equalized.
The third session ended without any goals due to excellent goaltending and tenacious defense. Naturally, the high stakes had to continue until a tournament-winning golden goal was at stake, but both nations waited for that final blow.
However, it only felt natural in the end to combine overtime with bonus hockey.
In the overtime, Team USA had several opportunities, particularly when Matthews got a pass from Jake Guentzel right in the crease. However, Binnington’s right pad blocked the game-winning attempt to keep the game alive.
The last 20 shots from Team USA were blocked by Binnington, who had to perform some gymnastics to give McDavid a wide-open shot in the slot, which is rarely missed by No. 97.
Five days prior to this rematch, the U.S. defeated Canada 3-1 in round-robin play, with three fights breaking out in the first nine seconds of play. Canada defeated Finland and Sweden on their way to the championship game, while the United States defeated Finland but lost to Sweden on Monday, even though they had already secured their place in the final.
In anticipation of the Winter Olympics in Milan next year, which NHL players will compete in for the first time since 2014, the event took the place of the NHL All-Star Game this year.