At the risk of sounding overdramatic: We deserved that, hockey fans.
If you hung in there through the games with no spectators, a flat cap jamming up rosters and zero high-end international play since 2016, again, we deserved those opening games. The 4 Nations Face-Off opened in the most fitting arena in Canada and started by giving us a Connor McDavid to Sidney Crosby to Nathan MacKinnon goal.
Chef’s-kiss stuff. It was a long time coming, and a storybook start.
Now, it’s built to this: Rivalry night, on the backs of a hotly contested Finland-Sweden game, in Montreal — Canada versus USA.
Here are my thoughts on Canada and the U.S. so far, and on what to expect on Saturday.
CANADA
1. Crosby has multiple Hart Trophies, McDavid does too, and MacKinnon should have more than one (and may get there after this season). The tippy-top of the Canadians roster is something nobody can match (the Americans included), and it’s their ultimate advantage.
Crosby’s first touch is Lionel Messi-esque. Pucks come flying toward him, in the air, flapping like butterflies, and the second he gets a touch, they’re immediately calmed and in a great spot to be moved.
McDavid and MacKinnon legitimately looked like they should be playing in a league above whatever this level is, and Drew Doughty called Game 1 “the fastest game I’ve ever played in.”
These guys pull the game in their wake while everyone else just tries to keep their heads above water. It’s wild to have two on the same team. The opposition is almost forced to have bad gaps to keep from getting beaten wide, so there should be room laterally for the more east-west players.
2. Canada’s defence was thrown a serious curveball in Game 1, but I was really impressed with how they handled it. Yes, I think some of the struggles that came with the injury of Shea Theodore led to awkward pairings and players playing their off-sides (allowing Sweden back in the game), but raw ability took over. Colton Parayko defended brilliantly, Josh Morrissey was all over the ice and Devon Toews was rock-solid while getting robbed on a great shot.
There’s suddenly some reason to be nervous with Theodore out and Cale Makar missing practice Friday with an illness, but Travis Sanheim will get a shot, and having three solid pairs simplifies things for Canada’s back-end.
If Thomas Harley steps in, there would start to be real concern. Two guys playing in their first games in big spots would be a little nerve-wracking, particularly as Doughty seems to still be finding his pace after return from prolonged injury.
3. Jordan Binnington was simultaneously the reason the first game was close and the reason Sweden didn’t steal it entirely. He wasn’t fazed by a couple of questionable goals, and he locked it down in overtime.
Canada’s options for Saturday night are to go back to the guy who got the win, who has felt the weight of the building and the most nervous moments, and pulled through, or throw Adin Hill his first start in a tough spot. The U.S., Saturday night, after not having played a game yet … to me, it would be too big of an ask.
He should be ready if Binnington is shaky early, but you gotta go back to No. 50.
USA
1. To quote a good buddy: “The Tkachuks are two-thirds of the Hanson Brothers out there.” And that’s true, only I’m not sure how often the Hansons scored two-thirds of the Chiefs’ goals in a given game as the Tkachuks did against Finland.
They were the talk of Game 1, united on a line in the second period, where they had immediate success. Brady Tkachuk has called the 4 Nations Face-Off “the best hockey experience of his life,” and Matthew Tkachuk has said they’ve been waiting for a game like the upcoming one against Canada for nine years. “We’ll be ready,” he said.
They’ll be ready.
2. The Americans seem to have a head start on chemistry. Many of them have played together over the years through the development program, and there have already been several stories of their off-ice bonding. Auston Matthews made a Bill Guerin joke at a team dinner (after which Guerin called him and pretended to cut him from the team), they’ve had Miracle on Ice alumni at meals and they have Johnny Gaudreau’s jersey as a player of the game item. They’re united in their distaste for having their anthem booed, too.
There seems to be a bond that’s formed quickly, and in a short event like this, it’s certainly an advantage.
3. The rout against Finland allowed the Americans to loosen up and find themselves in Game 1. Connor Hellebuyck got the win despite a shaky goal against, Matt Boldy continued his rise, Matthews and Jack Hughes showed tremendous chemistry, and their D looked solid. When Tkachuk says they’ll be ready, I expect that to extend to their whole team.
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4 Nations Face-Off on Sportsnet
The inaugural edition of the 4 Nations Face-Off is here with the top players from Canada, Sweden, Finland and the United States going head-to-head in the highly anticipated best-on-best event. Watch all the games on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
CANADA vs. USA
1. Expect the glass to rattle. In the Americans’ first game, Matthew Tkachuk said of his brother Brady’s eight hits that they “felt like 28.”
Well, Canada is bringing in Sam Bennett, and it’s putting him between Brad Marchand and Seth Jarvis (what a nightmare line that would be to play against in a long series). There has been some sneaky animosity in these games, from the Canadians not liking a shot at their net after a period ended versus Sweden, to the Americans shoving around to protect Hellebuyck. With the stakes being what they are, I expect the opening five-to-10 minutes of this game to be marked by finished checks.
But it’s a one-game battle here (possibly two, if you zoom out), and a big question for Canada will be how much it wants to get caught up in that part of the game. Matthew Tkachuk is 24th in NHL scoring this year and Brady is 60th. Three of the top-five scorers in the NHL are Canadian and Makar is the top-scoring D.
The Canadians don’t have many shrinking violets, but they can’t get too caught up in the physical stuff. The game will settle in at some point, and they’ll want that courage at the net front, not after the whistles.
2. The goaltenders are going to have a disproportionately large say in the outcome of this game, and there’s a fascinating battle shaping up.
Hellebuyck has a reputation as the guy who’s one of the few best in the world, who struggled in big playoff games last year and people aren’t sure of his ability to deliver a title just yet. Meanwhile, Binnington is inarguably not as good as Hellebuyck over a huge sample size, but he has the reputation as a gamer who lives for the big moments.
What will prevail? Will those reputations become further cemented, or will they be flipped on their heads?
3. What tends to happen with highly emotional games is that players are all amped up and not thinking quite as clearly, while the refs are on high alert, aware it’s a big game. And, so, guys cross lines looking to gain every conceivable edge, the refs call penalties and special teams end up having an outsized impact on the game’s outcome.
On the Canadians’ first power play against the Swedes, they scored 15 seconds in, playing the next 59 minutes without a special-teams opportunity. The Americans finished their game with two power-play goals on four opportunities, a total that is an advantage to them heading into Saturday.
Special teams are a science and take communication and chemistry from the players on the ice. Both teams have had some time to work on things, but there will still be mistakes and opportunities.
Any number of things can influence a single game. Coaching, a flash of brilliance from an elite player, a random bounce, who knows. All I know is that this is a game the players have been looking forward to for almost a decade, and fans should be excited too. And if we’re lucky, maybe it’s just a preview of an even bigger showdown five days later.
