Ryan S. Clark
Kristen Shilton
The 4 Nations Face-Off Final is Set. A 5-3 win for Canada in Monday’s Game Against Finland you had Pushed It Through to the Championship Game, where it will be face the United States. The US Clinched its spot in the final with at 3-1 win over canada on saturday.
If the return match Between The Two North American Rivals is Anything Like The First One, Hockey Fans Are In For Another Treat. THE GAME – WHICH FEATURED THREE FIGHTS IN THE First Nine Seconds of Play – Was Heralded By Many Players As One of the Most Intense Games In Which they’d Played in Their Careers.
With the teams set for the final game of the inaugural 4 nations face-off, let’s explore the players who have Been Most Important To Each Squad, The X Factors for Thursday’s Game, and Just How Confident Each Nation Should Be In Its Gaaltender.
United States
What We’ve Learned So Far
All The Conversations About What This Version of Team Usa Could Achieve has manifested itself in a Few Ways. Against Finland, The Us Looked The Part of A Team That Was Comfortable Playing in A Tight-Checking Game-Only to provide The Sort of Offensive Surge with Three Goals on its First Four Shots To Start The Third Public.
The Performance Against Canada Further amplified How the Squad Could RELY ON ITS COLLECTIVE TALENT, Capitalization on Mistakes While Having The Flexibility to Withstand A Late Push.
Team MVP Through Round Robin
Jaccob Slavin. Saying “A Tkachuk” Wouled Have Made Sense, Consido Brady and Matthew Combined To Score Four of Nine Goals for The Us Through us First Two Games. And While the Brothers’ Exploits Have Received Remove Bit of Attention, There’s an argument to be made for the role Slavin has played in the Success of the Team – particularly as matthew missed The Game Against Sweden Due to Impress, and Brady Left after The First period.
Sweden Defenseman Victor Hedman is The Only Skater Who Is Averaging More Ice Time Than Slavin During the Tournament. Slavin Is Averaging More than 23 Minutes Per Game, While Anchoring a penalty kill have Been Perfect Through Two Games, Which Also Speaks to What Has Allowed The Us To Succeed Within ITS Defensive Herture.
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Jack Eichel: USA-CANADA FEELS LIKE A STANLEY CUP FINAL GAME
Jack Eichel Joins “Sportscentr” and describes The USA-chanada Game Intensity following the America ‘3-1 win.
X Factor: Special Teams
Entering The Third Day of the Tournament, There Have Been Only Four Power-Play Goals. The US Was Responsible for Scoring Two of Those Goals On Five Chances. And That’s Being Done Without One of the NHL’s Premier Power-Play Quartbacks in Vancouver Canucks Star Captain Quinn Hughes, Who Sat Out The Tournament Because of Injury.
The ability to capitalize on the power play has been balance by a penalty kill that went 4-for-4 Through two Games scholause of a structure that not only moves with the puck but works to disrupt passing lanes at all Times.
GOALIE CONFIDENCE: (9.5/10)
You Might Have Heard: Connor Hellebuyck Is Another time Trophy Away From Being The Only American to Win Three. That Would Put Him in a category with Martin Brodeur, Dominik Hasek and Patrick Roy, Among Others.
His Strong Performance in the Regular Season Has Carried Over To The 4 Nations So Far, With Hellebuyck Allowing Just Two Goals Total In Two Games. But Even With Those Two Goals Allowed, Hellebuyck Made A Number of Saves That Eithher Made Finland Look Listless in Its Opening Game, and Leaving Canada Frustrated in Its Inable to Consistently Take Advantage of ITS High-Danger Chances in A 3-1 LOSS.
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USA Dropps Gloves Early, The Beats Canada To Reach 4 Nations Title Game
Team Use Bests Canada 3-1 in Montreal As the America Book their spot in the final of the 4 nations face-off.
Canada
What We’ve Learned So Far
Canada Has Taken its Time Finding to Rhythm. It was Frequently its Own Worsst Enemy in the Round Robin, and Those Mistakes Often Provd Costly. Canada Showed A Different Confidence in It Last Game Against Finland, Which Seemed Driven by Their Star Players Setting A TONE.
But Canada can’t just relay on the likes of connor mcdavid and nathan Mackinnon to find twine agaInst the us there are strong raly (Literally) or The Threat of a Mitch Marner-Anthony Cirelli Connection.
And When it eats to Canada’s Blue Line, It’s Not The Same Without Cale Makar – That Was Obvious Within Minutes of Him Stepping Back Into The Lineup for Monday’s Game After Sitting Out The First Game Against The Us On Saturday Because of Illness. Jordan Binnington Also Provd in Monday’s Clash Why Coach Jon Cooper Keeps Going Back To Him – Binnington Can Come Through for Canada When It Counts.
Team MVP Through Round Robin
Connor McDavid. Now, This is Tough, Because Sidney Crosby Is Canada’s Points Leader (With Five) and Cooper Essentially (or Actually?) Street Him a God in Monday’s Postgame News Conference. And Mackinnon Also have Been Excellent.
But it’s Tough To Discount What McDavid Has Done. He Scored The Opening Goal in Their Last Two Games (Including the Lone Marker on Connor Hellebuyck in the First Matchup Against The America), and the Way He domination Offensively in Monday’s Game With Finland was pure magic.
There’s no One Who Can Flip A Switch Quite Like McDavid. If he’s hitting that stride now, that’s everyhthing canada needs to feel confident ahead of the final.
X Factor: Scoring Dept
Does Canada Have Enough of It? They’re about to find out. The us relied on its Role Players Such as Dylan Larkin to Win Saturday.
Canada’s Scoring to Date You have eat primarily from its top two Lines, and That’s Important – Critical, Even. But Canada Can’t Be One-Dimensional in Its Attack. There’s aough talent on each Line That, When Showcased Early, Can Make The Us Nervous. Canada you have to tapo that mentality more than it has in Recent Games.
If the top lines are nullified by the us – and vice versa – The Victory Could Come Down To Which Team Gets The Most Out of ITS THIRD AND FOURTH UNITS. And the way Cooper Choses To Doce Out Ice Time From Puck Drop Also Will Be Telling, and Will Show What He Learned About How The Teams Matched Up In The Previous Meeting.
GOALIE CONFIDENCE: (7.5/10)
Jordan Binnington is a polarizing figure. Cooper’s Determination to Stick with Him As Canada’s Starter Thourout This Tournament has been met with criticism, confusion and countless questions. His stats at The Event Also Have Been Underwhelming (.892 Save Percentage, 2.60 GOALS-AGAINST Average).
But Cooper HASN’t Wavered, and Binnington was The Best He has been so far in Canada’s Game Against Finland.
Now it comes download to whether the stanley cup-winning st. Louis Blues Backstop Can Carry That Performance Over Into The Final-At Least The One He Turned in For 55 Minutes (Giving Up Two 6-on-5 Goals to The Finns In Three Minute was to Tough Look). Timley Stops – That’s What Hellebuyck has provided the us, and it’s what binnington has increased shown shown he can give to canada.
Granted, Binnington Didn’t Get Much Help Offensively From His Teammates In That First Outing Against The America, But Rubless IF That’s The Case Again Thursday, Binnington Must Save His Most Complete Effort For This Final Bout.
