Team USA, Canada set for rematch in 4 Nations Face-Off final

• Canada beat Finland in an elimination game Monday during the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. The win sets up a rematch with Team USA in Thursday’s final.
• Nathan McKinnon scored two goals for Team Canada, clinching the 5-3 win over the Fins.
• Team USA beat Canada 3-1 on Saturday in a game that drew big TV ratings for the NHL.

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The 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament is down to the final two teams. The U.S. and Canada will battle in the championship final on Thursday, Feb. 20, in Boston.

The tournament has been—to borrow a phrase from baseball—a home run thus far. The first USA vs. Canada showdown on Saturday, Feb. 15, generated huge TV ratings for the NHL. The 4.4 million who watched on ABC was only eclipsed in the last year by the Stanley Cup Final.

How did Canada make the 4 Nations Final?

On Monday afternoon, Feb. 17, Canada punched its ticket to the final by beating Finland 5-3. The Canadians jumped out to a 4-0 lead with an onslaught of pressure against the Fins, led by Nathan McKinnon, who scored twice. They coasted from there, marking a nice bounce back following their 3-1 loss to the Americans on Saturday, Feb. 15.

“We got off to a great start, some big goals early. We were playing on our toes, and to get those, I thought, was huge. We played pretty solid throughout,” said Team Canada’s captain, Sidney Crosby. “We were probably guilty of sitting back there late, and they capitalized, but give them credit. They didn’t give up. They kept pushing. Tough team to play against, so it was important to get the lead.”

Team USA reacts to win over Canada

Headlines were made during the instant classic Saturday, Feb. 15, for the three fights in the first nine seconds of the game. The Tkachuck brothers, Matthew and Brady, dropped the gloves immediately, followed by J.T. Miller a few moments later. They told the press after they wanted to “send a message” to the hometown team and the crowd. Nobody expected it; however, Team USA captain Auston Matthews approved it.

“Those three guys stepping up like that, I mean, those guys are hard as it gets when it comes to just playing the game hard and with an edge,” Matthews said. “And you know, just to get the game started like that, I thought it gave our team energy, our bench –– a lot of energy, a lot of life, and we just went from there.”

How are USA and Canada approaching the final?

The U.S. has one game to play between now and the final. Monday night, Feb. 17, they’ll take on Sweden in what amounts to a warmup since the Swedes have already been eliminated. Then it’s the big one against Canada, with face-off set for 8 p.m. EST Thursday, Feb. 20, on ESPN.

Team Canada head coach Jon Cooper summed it up best, saying, “We want in this. We came here for this purpose, and now it’s one more game. It just so happens to be against the team that beat us after the fireworks that went off on Saturday night. So, should be a pretty good made-for-TV event.”

One big difference between Saturday’s showdown in Montreal and what’s coming Thursday –– the championship game is in Boston, which could give the advantage to Team USA.