The United States has qualified for the championship of the 4 Nations Face-Off with a 3-1 victory over Canada. Jake Guentzel scored twice, and Dylan Larkin scored to lead the Americans to the victory.
Jake Guentzel, as advertised 🥵 pic.twitter.com/ABpWJ12jLY
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) February 16, 2025
The biggest news heading into the game was that Cale Makar would not play for Canada. The Colorado Avalanche defenseman has been dealing with an illness since at least last Friday. Thomas Harley of the Dallas Stars took Makar’s place in the lineup.
Related: Guide to the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off
Well, that was the biggest news until the game started, as we saw three fights in the first nine seconds. Matthew Tkachuk explained after the game, “We needed to send a message. The message we wanted to send is, ‘It’s our time.’”
With that, here are the three takeaways from Team USA’s victory.
USA’s Smart Physicality
The Americans played a physical, banging game against Finland and brought that style of play into the game with Canada. That style reflects their identity more, but they have to make sure that it is done in a smart way. In the second period, things calmed down a bit and Team USA continued their physical play without giving Canada a chance at a power play.
In the game against Finland, Team USA was credited with 32 hits, which led all teams through the first game. That was 11 more than the next-closest team (Sweden, 21). Brady Tkachuk led all players through the opening games with eight hits, matching his NHL season-high. Against Canada, Team USA had 34 hits on the night and limited the high-powered Canadian team to just one goal. They will see themselves as the tournament winner if they can continue this smart, physical play.
Hellebuyck Could Carry Team USA to Gold
It is no surprise that Connor Hellebuyck is playing well in this tournament. In the first period, he kept the Americans in the game by stopping some very good Canadian chances. Hellebuyck leads the NHL in wins, with a 34-7-2 record on the season, and paces NHL starters with a .925 save percentage and 2.06 goals-against average.
Once considered a strength for Team USA, the defense was just so-so against Canada. Connor McDavid split Charlie McAvoy and Zach Werenski on defense on Canada’s first goal. They had other lapses that gave a…
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