Canada rolls Finland to advance
A 5-3 win for Canada in Monday’s game against Finland has pushed it through to the championship game, where it will face the USA.
The U.S. clinched its spot in the final with a 3-1 win over Canada on Saturday. That game in Montreal started off tense as the fans booed the US National Anthem. Then there were three fights in the first nine seconds of the game.
They have a history
Recently US President Donald Trump suggested that Canada might be a good candidate for becoming the 51st state. That suggestion was not taken well by Canadians and so there has been an added incentive to the usual chippy rivalry.
Canada and the USA will meet to decide the champion of a best-on-best men’s international tournament for the first time in 15 years (last: 2010 Winter Olympic Games). Thursday’s 4 Nations Face-Off final will mark the fifth time the two countries will clash in a championship/gold medal game at an NHL International Tournament or Olympics (CAN: 3-1). In their last head-to-head meeting in best-on-best hockey at the 2010 Olympics, USA defeated Canada in the preliminary round before Canada earned the victory in the gold medal game – Canada will look to continue that trend on Thursday.
The championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off is set for Thursday (8 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS), longtime rivals Canada and the USA will write the next chapter in their lengthy on-ice history.
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4 Nations Nuggets
After netting the overtime winner Saturday against Sweden, Mikael Granlund scored twice to pull Finland within a goal late in the third period on Monday, marking the fifth time a player from Finland has recorded a multi-goal game at an NHL International Tournament. He joined Esa Tikkanen (1991 Canada Cup vs. USA), Janne Ojanen (1991 Canada Cup vs. Canada), Juhani Tamminen (1976 Canada Cup vs. Sweden) and Lasse Oksanen (1976 Canada Cup vs. Sweden).
Chris Kreider of Boxford, Mass., playing in his home state, scored 35 seconds into his first game of the 4 Nations Face-Off, the fastest goal of the tournament and eighth time a player has scored in the first 35 seconds of a game at an NHL International Tournament.
USA forward J.T. Miller had a 98.51 mph slap shot at 12:11 of the third period (via NHL EDGE), which displaced Sweden’s Victor Hedman (97.60 mph vs. Canada) for the hardest shot of the 4 Nations Face-Off so far.
Zach Werenski notched his tournament-leading fifth assist of the 4 Nations Face-Off and now shares the lead among all players with five points (tied with Sidney Crosby). Werenski matched Derian Hatcher (3-2—5 in 6 GP at 1996 WCH) for the second-most points by an American defenseman at a single NHL International Tournament, behind Brian Leetch (0-7—7 in 7 GP at 1996 WCH).
Werenski will become the fifth player with at least five assists in a single NHL International Tournament while playing four games or fewer (the max GP for any player at 4 Nations Face-Off). The others (all in 4 GP): forwards Peter Forsberg of Sweden (7 at 1996 WCH), Gilbert Perreault of Canada (6 at 1981 CC), Daniel Alfredsson of Sweden (6 at 2004 WCH), as well as defenseman Calle Johansson of Sweden (6 at 1996 WCH).
