Jason LaRose
GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. UNITED STATES (FEB. 20)
The game everybody wanted is the game everybody got. The 2025 4 Nations Face-Off comes to a close Thursday night at TD Garden in Boston when Canada takes on the United States in the championship game.
Last Game
Canada punched its ticket to the final with a 5-3 win over Finland in its preliminary-round finale on Monday afternoon. Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon scored 46 seconds apart early in the first period, Brayden Point added a goal before the end of the opening frame and the Canadians looked to be on their way with a four-goal lead after 40 minutes, but the Finns made it interesting late, cutting the deficit to a single goal before Sidney Crosby found the empty net in the final minute.
With their place in the finale secure before the puck dropped, the Americans rested a couple of key pieces in what finished as a 2-1 loss to Sweden on Monday night. Chris Kreider, the oldest player on the U.S. roster, scored just 35 seconds into his tournament debut, but that would be all the offence the home country could muster despite directing 33 shots towards Samuel Ersson.
Last Meeting
Need we remind anyone? The North American rivals clashed Saturday night in Montreal, in a prelim game that not only lived up to the pre-game hype, but surpassed it. Three fights in the opening nine seconds set an emotional tone and McDavid ignited the Bell Centre crowd with a beautiful goal less than six minutes in, but the U.S. would rally for a 3-1 victory to ensure itself a spot in the championship game.
What to Watch
Really, at this point what you need to watch is the game and everybody involved in it. This is going to be one to remember. But if we need to be picky… let’s turn our attention to the reigning Hart Trophy winner. MacKinnon earned Player of the Game honours against the Finns thanks to his two-goal effort, and his Cole Harbour connection with Crosby will be key to Canada’s chances. MacKinnon has been tearing up the NHL, going into the international break with a league-leading 87 points (19-66—87). (Those 66 assists, by the way, also pace all NHLers.) Although it’s been almost eight years since he last wore the Maple Leaf (at the 2017 IIHF World Championship), MacKinnon is no stranger to international hockey; his résumé included 22 goals and 52 points in 49 games for his country prior to the tournament.
The Americans have an NHL league-leader of their own, and he plays between the pipes. Connor Hellebuyck is arguably the best goaltender in the world, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner who has his sights set on another. He tops all puck-stoppers in goals-against average (2.06), save percentage (.925), shutouts (6) and wins (34), backstopping the Winnipeg Jets to the top of the NHL standings. And the 31-year-old has been just as good at the 4 Nations Face-Off, winning both his starts while allowing just a single goal in each, turning aside 45 of 47 shots in victories over Finland and Canada. But just like the Canadians, feel free to let your focus wander to any number of players – Auston Matthews, Matthew and Brady Tkachuk … there’s really no wrong answer.
A Look Back
One of international hockey’s greatest rivalries, the Canadians and Americans have met 20 times in best-on-best tournaments since the 1976 Canada Cup, with Canada holding a 14-5-1 advantage.
This will be the fifth time the rivals will clash in a tournament finale; Canada swept the best-of-three final in the 1991 Canada Cup, only for the U.S. to get that win back in a three-game thriller in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. And, of course, they have met in a pair of Olympic gold medal games – in 2002, when Canada ended a 50-year drought, and the 2010 instant classic in Vancouver that ended with Crosby’s iconic Golden Goal.
All-time record: Canada leads 14-5-1 (2-0 in OT) Canada goals: 71 United States goals: 32