Team Canada will get an opportunity to avenge its loss to the United States of America in the round-robin portion of the 4 Nations Face-Off with a rematch in the championship game. Canada defeated Finland 5-3 behind a three-goal outburst in the opening 20 minutes. Forwards Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon were instrumental in the victory. Jordan Binnington’s 23 saves secured the win despite some nervous late moments. The highly-charged duel between Team USA and Canada will occur Thursday night in Boston, Massachusetts.
Game Recap
A quick Canadian left-right scoring punch put Finland in an early multi-goal disadvantage five minutes into the game. Canada’s McDavid (2) beat Finland’s goalie Kevin Lankinen‘s glove side for a 1-0 lead at 4:13 of the opening period. Finland’s Roope Hintz flung the puck into an open area on an attempted clearance. However, it was captured by Canada’s star center before he circled to an open space to create the shooting chance against a scrambling Finnish defensive line.
Related: Guide to the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off
Forty-six seconds later, MacKinnon (2) ripped a shot past Lankinen on a breakaway for a 2-0 lead. Canadian forward Sam Bennett pushed the puck into an open area, allowing MacKinnon to use his speed burst to grab the loose object. The Colorado Avalanche star moved to his backhand and beat the Finnish goalie blocker side for a quick 2-0 lead for Canada.
Finland’s coach, Antti Pennanen, used his timeout to settle the game down, which generated a solid push over the next handful of minutes, but it was Canada celebrating the game’s next goal. Braydon Point dunked a rebound across the goal line for a 3-0 lead with six minutes remaining in the opening frame. McDavid located defenseman Travis Sanheim joining the rush, creating a scoring opportunity when the blueliner ripped a low shot at Lankinen’s pads.
Early in the second period, MacKinnon added his third goal of the tournament on a one-time feed from Sidney Crosby to extend the Canadian advantage to 4-0. Finland swapped to goaltender Juuse Saros to guard the net for the remainder of the contest following the Canadian celebration. In the end, it was an adjustment made too late to impact the loss.
Sidney Crosby ➡️ Nathan MacKinnon 😍 #4Nations https://t.co/g3nK6X2AO8 pic.twitter.com/mKOMosnysM
— NHL (@NHL) February 17, 2025
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