7 critical matchups that will decide Canada vs. USA Olympic gold medal showdown
It’s the matchup that an entire continent has been waiting for.
Canada and the United States both took care of business, winning their respective semi-final games at the Milano Cortina Olympics to set up an epic gold medal showdown.
The hype for this contest notched up a couple of levels after these teams battled twice in last year’s 4 Nations tournament.
One game in that tournament featured three fights in nine seconds. The other was capped off with a tournament-clinching overtime goal by Canada’s Connor McDavid.
None of that matters as much as this epic gold medal game on Sunday.
With very little separating these two hockey powerhouses, here are the seven matchups that will likely decide who wins gold.
1. Binnington vs. Hellebuyck
Most of the time in hockey, when things get tight, it comes down to goaltending.
That’s where, at least on paper, the USA has a massive edge.
Thankfully, the game isn’t played on paper.
Connor Hellebuyck has had a tournament to remember thus far, winning all four games while stopping 87 of 92 shots that he’s faced (.945 save percentage).
Jordan Binnington isn’t in the same stratosphere as Hellebuyck, even if he’s had a decent tournament this far (.913 save percentage).
However, Binnington has shown a tendency to step up on the big stage, proving that with a couple of massive overtime saves in last year’s 4 Nations tournament.
2. Hughes vs. Makar
Both the United States and Canada are blessed with the two best defencemen on the planet.
But whichever player steps up in the gold medal game could decide who wins this battle.
Hughes already has his shining moment in this tournament, scoring the overtime winner against Sweden in the quarter-finals. He’s outscored Makar slightly in this tournament as well, with seven points compared to Makar’s five.
3. Tkachuk brothers vs. Chaos Line
There were fireworks aplenty when these teams met at the 4 Nations.
And, while nobody is expecting three fights in the Gold Medal Game, some intensity is to be anticipated.
Matthew and Brady Tkachuk have been their typical selves at these Olympics, getting on the scoresheet while causing a ruckus in scrums. Both players were handed 10-minute misconducts at the end of America’s game versus Slovakia.
Meanwhile in Canada, we saw the formation of the ‘Chaos Line’ against Finland, featuring Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand and Tom Wilson.
Which of these characters will be able to get under their opposition’s skin the most? Or, perhaps more importantly, will penalties taken by any of these players turn the tide of the game?
4. Battle of the power plays
You probably couldn’t draw up deadlier power plays if you tried.
Canada’s first unit features McDavid, Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, Macklin Celebrini and Sam Reinhart. So far in the tournament, each player has at least one power play goal. They’ve scored on seven of their 16 power plays so far (43.7 per cent).
However, that unit will face a United States penalty kill that hasn’t allowed a power play goal against at the Olympics.
Behind Canada in the power play rankings is the United States, who’ve scored on four of its 14 power plays. The first unit features Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Matthew Tkachuk, Hughes, and Tage Thompson.
They’ll go up against a Canadian penalty kill that is clicking at just 72.3 per cent.
5. McDavid vs. Matthews
Clearly, McDavid is in a stratosphere of his own.
Behind him, even Macklin Celebrini has arguably been the second-best player at this tournament.
But, in a one-game elimination, you can’t discount how hungry Matthews may be to get his revenge against McDavid.
Matthews was mere centimetres away from behind the hero at the 4 Nations, with Binnington robbing him point-blank in overtime. Binnington then proceeded to stop Matthews two other times with massive stops.
After Matthews was foiled thrice, McDavid scored the overtime winner, just seconds after beating USA’s captain in the face-off dot, no less.
6. Battle of the “Third Line” Heroes
With both teams featuring loaded rosters, the game may come down to which depth players have the biggest impact.
For both the USA and Canada, they have third-line players who’ve made a massive impact at this tournament.
Although Canadian head coach Jon Cooper has juggled lines, one of his main forward trios has been Mitch Marner, Nick Suzuki and Mark Stone.
Suzuki scored the game-tying goal for Canada against Czechia, while Marner sent his country to the semi-finals with the overtime winner.
The most common third line for the United States so far has been Jack Hughes, Dylan Larkin and Thompson. All three players scored in the USA’s semi-final win over Slovakia, and they accounted for four of their team’s six total goals in that game.
7. Crosby vs. the injury bug
It’s hard to call Canada’s Sidney Crosby an X-factor.
But, with his status for the gold medal game hanging in the balance, his impact on this game varies wildly.
Missing Crosby would be a huge loss for Canada. Even though he missed Friday’s game, his six points trail only McDavid, Celebrini, and MacKinnon on Team Canada.
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No one playing in Sunday’s game is as proven or accomplished as Crosby. If he draws in, it could be the difference Canada needs to claim gold.