Team Canada is still on top.
Canada defeated the United States 3-2 in the final of the 4 Nations Face-Off on Thursday with an overtime winner from Connor McDavid at the 8:18 mark of the extra frame.
Nathan MacKinnon was named tournament MVP. He led the tournament with four goals and opened the scoring in the championship game with a seeing-eye wrister at the 4:48 mark of the first period.
McDavid’s OT winner came on a top-corner snipe from the high slot after a pass out of the corner from Mitch Marner, who was promoted back to the top line midway through the title game. McDavid was named player of the game.
Jordan Binnington was brilliant in goal for Canada, making 31 saves in the winning effort despite being viewed as the team’s biggest weakness. He made multiple 10-bell stops in overtime, first robbing Auston Matthews with the blocker and then flashing the leather on Brady Tkachuk.
“Binner’s a winner. That’s ultimately what it is,” McDavid said postgame. “He’s won a big game in this building before in (Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final). He’s played in big moments. The moment doesn’t get to him.
“He made probably three or four all-world saves early in overtime to allow us to score the goal. All the credit to him. Hopefully some of those haters will back off him because he played great.”
Canadian winger Brad Marchand added that Binnington was “the sole reason we won this game tonight.”
It’s Canada’s fourth straight win at a best-on-best international hockey tournament and sixth in the last seven attempts in such events.
Event
Winner
Finalist
2025 4 Nations
Canada 🇨🇦
United States 🇺🇸
2016 World Cup
Canada 🇨🇦
Team Europe 🇪🇺
2014 Olympics
Canada 🇨🇦
Sweden 🇸🇪
2010 Olympics
Canada 🇨🇦
United States 🇺🇸
2006 Olympics
Sweden 🇸🇪
Finland 🇫🇮
2004 World Cup
Canada 🇨🇦
Finland 🇫🇮
2002 Olympics
Canada 🇨🇦
United States 🇺🇸
“We definitely pride ourselves off of being the best hockey nation,” MacKinnon said. “It’s nice for another year at least, we have some bragging rights. Got to go do it again next February (at the Olympics).”
The United States hasn’t won a best-on-best tournament since the 1996 World Cup.
Team USA fell behind to start the game but fought back and eventually led the contest.
Tkachuk notched the equalizer for the United States with just 3:08 left in the opening stanza. He managed to get a stick on Matthews’ centering pass despite being swarmed by three Canadians.
The Ottawa Senators’ contingent on the American side stayed hot, as defenseman Jake Sanderson banged home a rebound during a scramble in front of the Canadian net to put the United States ahead 7:32 into the second.
However, Sam Bennett beat Connor Hellebuyck upstairs off the rush on a sweet feed from Marner to tie the game at the 14-minute mark of the second period.
Both goaltenders held strong in a fast-paced third period, sending the game to overtime to set up McDavid’s magical moment.
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