Winner takes all: It’s Canada vs USA in 4 Nations final
It’s the rematch that everybody was waiting for.
Canada will get their chance to exact revenge on the United States following their round-robin victory over Finland.
Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid led the way during Canada’s 5-3 victory over the Finns, which punched their ticket to the 4 Nations championship game. It appeared to be a slam-dunk win as the Canadians jumped out to a 4-0 lead heading into the third period. Yet, three straight Finnish goals in the third period put Canada on their heels at 4-3.
NATHAN MACKINNON IS ON HATTY WATCH 🎩🇨🇦 #4Nations pic.twitter.com/0kTKJfZESC
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 17, 2025
Sidney Crosby was able to quell those fears, however, as he netted an empty-net goal to seal things away.
Canada will now meet the Americans in the final, who were able to clinch their spot in the final with a 3-1 victory over Canada on Saturday night.
The last game between these two countries kicked off with three straight fights and, with the championship on the line, fans can expect yet another fiery game.
McDavid was the lone bright spot for Canada in their last meeting with the USA, scoring the only Canadian goal and nearly tying the game in the third period. He will once again be leaned on as the Canadians try to exact revenge in the biggest game of the tournament.
MCDAVID GETS THINGS ROLLING 🇨🇦 #4Nations pic.twitter.com/aBuij3LphA
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 17, 2025
There are, however, a few concerning storylines plaguing both teams heading into this final.
Injury woes
Both Canada and the USA are facing some potentially crippling injury concerns going into the final.
While star Canadian defenceman Cale Makar missed the game against the Americans on Saturday night with an illness, he was able to get back into the lineup against Finland. Makar is a critical part of Canada’s blueline and it was clear that they missed him in that loss to the Americans. He looked healthy earlier today, and his presence in the final could be a massive boon for Canada.
On the American side, there is concern surrounding the health of star forward Matthew Tkachuk. The pesky Tkachuk played just over a minute in the third period against Canada and is set to be a healthy scratch against the USA’s last round-robin game against Sweden tonight. American defenceman Charlie McAvoy is also a healthy scratch and it’s unclear if there are injury concerns for him as well.
Goaltending battle
Canadian head coach Jon Cooper has been stubborn with his starting goalie in this tournament, giving Jordan Binnington all three starts so far.
The results have been mixed for the fiery goaltender as he looked a tad bit shaky in his first two games of the tournament. Binnington did, however, come up big in key moments against both Sweden and Finland. It seems like a foregone conclusion that he will also get the nod in net for the final as well.
It’s been the opposite situation for the Americans. Connor Hellebuyck has looked every bit like the Vezina Trophy winner that he is. He has dominated the first two games of the 4 Nations and the USA has opted to give him some rest ahead of the final, with Jake Oettinger getting the start against the Swedes tonight.
Unsurprisingly, Connor Hellebuyck🇺🇸 has been the best goalie in the tournament. Was terrific against Canada – credited with a Steal (GSAE>Goal Differential).
He's the only goalie with a save % above .900 in the tournament (.957). pic.twitter.com/vvSH3NXwvF
— Mike Kelly (@MikeKellyNHL) February 16, 2025
The final result of the tournament could come down to how good the goaltenders are in this game, and the United States have a decisive advantage in that area.
Anthem tensions continue
Lots have been made of the tensions between Canada and the USA due to recent geopolitical events, and that will take centre stage in the final.
The Montreal crowd loudly booed the Star Spangled Banner before Saturday night’s game between the USA and Canada, prompting some harsh discourse on social media between Canadian and American hockey fans.
Now that the tournament has moved to Boston, there is potential that the American fans could return the favour when “O Canada” is sung before the game. There were a few boos for the Canadian anthem in the lead-up to the Canada/Finland game, but nothing too substantial.
O Canada draws a smattering of boos, but also plenty of fans singing along. pic.twitter.com/pFxl0rmDYZ
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) February 17, 2025
We shall see if those boos get louder for the penultimate game, which is set for Thursday night at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT.