USA vs Canada live score updates: 4 Nations Face-Off Championship Game latest
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The United States is taking on Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off Championship Game at TD Garden in Boston.
Nathan MacKinnon opened the scoring for Canada early in the first period, firing a wrister through traffic and beating Connor Hellebuyck up high. Team USA tied the game late in the first after Brady Tkachuk cleaned up an Auston Matthews wraparound.
The United States took the lead near the midway point of the second period as Jake Sanderson flicked in a rebound to cap off a hectic sequence. Canada equalized with six minutes remaining in the second on an accurate Sam Bennett shot from close range, assisted by Mitch Marner.
Follow updates from our team of reporters live from the game below.
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OT 15:27 – United States 2, Canada 2
Binnington again! The U.S. wins a faceoff and Matthews gets a dangerous shot off from the slot, but Binnington is unbeatable right now!
Jordan Binnington doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, but boy, here’s there when you need him. What a save on Auston Matthews in overtime.
And again on Matthews. And again on Brady Tkachuk! Wow!
OT 16:37 – United States 2, Canada 2
Moments after Matthews’ chance, Marchand has a clear break on goal but the U.S. defense recovers just in time to prevent a goal.
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OT 17:09 – United States 2, Canada 2
How has Matthews not won it for Team USA there?! Guentzel sets him up right in front of goal but Binnington makes an incredible save!
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OT 17:58 – United States 2, Canada 2
The American fans in Boston want an icing call that isn’t coming. That doesn’t stop the U.S. from quickly generating a chance as Nelson gets the puck in space on the right wing, but his shot fails to hit the target.
And now, both the American fans and the American players want a penalty on Canada for too many men, but again, no call is coming.
The entire crowd at TD Garden was on its feet as the players took the ice for overtime.
The entire lower bowl is still standing as overtime begins. Here we go!
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OT 20:00 – United States 2, Canada 2
The puck drops and sudden death begins! Hold onto your seats, this is going to be thrilling!
Connor Hellebuyck and Jordan Binnington both made big saves when called upon in the third period.
The duo combined for 13 saves in the final 20 minutes of regulation, stepping up in clutch time.
It’s almost unfair that one of them has to concede what will be a heartbreaking goal here in overtime.
Pgad: Auston Matthews doing his best John Cena imitation.
Bennett J: Brock Faber is the best righthanded defenseman in the world.
Co S: Whatever the outcome, the days of Canada owning hockey are over for good.
Perry H: Jack Hughes getting manhandled.
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Let us know who you’ve got as the overtime goal scorer!
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We’ve assembled our predictions for who we think will score the winning goal in overtime tonight.
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Canada has a 7-1 record in overtime games at NHL international tournaments, while the United States is 0-1.
Past overtime goal scorers for Canada:
In addition, Canadian forward Nathan MacKinnon scored an OT goal for Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
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There have been four overtime games in the championship round of previous NHL international tournaments:
The only time the championship was clinched with an overtime goal was in 1976, by Canada’s Darryl Sittler. One player will join Sittler with that distinction tonight.
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Canada 2, United States 2
Doesn’t get much better than this. I felt like Canada was the better team in most of the third period, but as we know, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Or maybe it does. No matter who wins this game, this has been a great celebration of hockey and games like this are what help the game grow more than anything else.
Unlike the round-robin stage of this tournament, which saw overtime played as 10 minutes of three-on-three before a shootout, tonight we’re using NHL playoff rules.
That means five-on-five like usual, for 20-minute periods until one team scores.
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Sixty minutes isn’t enough to decide the winner here!
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P3 0:06 – United States 2, Canada 2
Canada nearly wins it at the buzzer! Miller intercepts a pass in the U.S. crease, preventing McDavid from scoring a sure goal!
The U.S. has spent the last 30+ seconds clinging on for dear life.
P3 1:00 – United States 2, Canada 2
Eichel backhands a pass through Canada’s crease but no teammate is there to turn the puck home.
We’ve reached the final minute of regulation!
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P3 1:29 – United States 2, Canada 2
A long pass releases MacKinnon down the left wall. He turns towards goal and fires a dangerous shot, but Hellebuyck makes the stop.
Canada 2, USA 2 in overtime
More incredible saves by Binnington!
Matthews with a huge chance to win it!
Overtime is underway!
Both goalies impressing
Your views on Canada-United States
Our OT GWG predictions
USA and Canada’s history in overtime
Overtime history
Stats after third period
This game deserved overtime
Overtime rules
We’re headed to overtime!
Overtime looming
How to watch 4 Nations Face-Off final: Canada-USA on ESPN
The stage is set for the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off final. After a week of group play, the USA meets Canada in the championship — a rematch following the USA’s 3-1 victory on Feb. 18. With the first outing filled with fights and intensity, fans are hoping for more of the same.
Though the U.S. will be without injured defenseman Charlie McAvoy, Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk are expected to play. Meanwhile, Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid will look to help Canada turn the tables in Round 2.
Who will take home the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off title? Here are more key facts about the event.
How can fans watch?
Coverage for the 4 Nations Face-Off championship begins on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET with “The Point: 4 Nations Face-Off Pregame Show” hosted by Steve Levy alongside analyst Mark Messier and P.K. Subban on ESPN and ESPN+.
USA vs. Canada will start at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes and Disney+.
Fans can catch all the action in the NHL streaming hub.
How can fans access more NHL content from ESPN?
Check out the ESPN NHL hub page for breaking news, stats, schedules and more.
Mark Messier previews the high-stakes rematch as USA faces Canada in a winner-takes-all showdown for the 4 Nations Face-Off crown. (1:58)
BOSTON — What makes Team USA a team — and not just a collection of All-Stars — is having Jaccob Slavin on the roster.
That’s not conjecture. That’s what Team USA coach Mike Sullivan said when asked what the Carolina Hurricanes defenseman means to the men’s national team at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Practically everything about Team USA is a spectacle. The way they win is a spectacle. Their personalities are spectacles upon spectacles. Even hearing the song “Free Bird” after each goal is a spectacle; the reaction it draws from Team USA’s fans comes with the expectation that a bald eagle is going to soar throughout the arena to the backdrop of fireworks.
And while Slavin is the antithesis of that spectacle, what he does for the team is one of the main reasons the spectacle exists in the first place. Goals and those who score those goals receive the bulk of the attention. Goal prevention is not always guaranteed acclaim.
But this is what defines Slavin. It’s also what could help America sit atop the hockey world with another win over Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off final (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+/Disney+).
“He’s so underrated and he’s honestly one of my favorite players to watch,” Team USA defenseman Jake Sanderson said. “He just flies under the radar and makes great plays. He’s so solid defensively and such a great skater. It’s the sort of attribute I want in my game someday.”
LEADING INTO THE TOURNAMENT, a big talking point was what Team USA’s defensive structure would look like. While Connor Hellebuyck was long believed to be the starting goalie, there was a thought that whoever would be in front of America’s goalies was going to give opponents fits.
The U.S. created a defensive corps featuring Brock Faber, Adam Fox, Charlie McAvoy, Zach Werenski, Noah Hanifin and Sanderson. Those six skaters are part of a larger wave of puck-moving defensemen who’ve helped define the NHL’s newest glamour position.
It’s a group that initially included the reigning Norris Trophy winner, Quinn Hughes, who was ruled out because of an injury.
But that also comes with the caveat that the rise of those puck-moving defensemen has led to defensive-minded defensemen receiving less attention.
Or to view it another way: The NHL’s affinity for two-way quarterbacks has come at the cost of those shutdown defensemen. And if his Team USA teammates are quarterbacks for what they do in the offensive zone, that in turn makes Slavin a shutdown cornerback.
“Jaccob’s a guy that, in my mind, is one of the best defenders and one of the best defending defensemen in the league,” Sullivan said. “His size, his mobility, his reach, his ability to read plays, he closes on people, how strong he is in the battle areas. I don’t know if there’s a defenseman in the league who defends the rush more aggressively or better than Jaccob does.”
MANY THINGS HAVE CONTRIBUTED to why Team USA has looked like the most consistently complete team throughout the 4 Nations tournament. One of those is a restrictive defensive structure that, if all else fails, can rely on Hellebuyck, one of the greatest goaltenders America has ever produced, to contain the situation.
Actually getting to that point against Team USA has been rare for opponents. Finland scored only once, as did Canada. The U.S. won both of those games, which made Monday’s 2-1 loss to Sweden irrelevant because it had already qualified for the title game.
The most surprising part of Sweden’s two goals? Slavin was on the ice for both.
Before that, he had logged more than 45 combined 5-on-5 and short-handed minutes without a goal being scored. He leads Team USA’s skaters with an average ice time of 21:31 per game, while anchoring a penalty kill that hasn’t allowed a power-play goal against.
“He’s super tough to play against. I’m a D and I don’t go against him a lot,” Sweden and Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said. “The way he is in the way, the way he breaks pucks up and is such a great skater.”
Much of what Slavin does is in the details, but there are times when it becomes large enough for all to see. That was the case in the win over Canada, when Colorado Avalanche superstar center and reigning Hart Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon was speeding in for a zone entry, as he has done so often in his NHL career.
Just when it appeared MacKinnon found an opening, Slavin was right there — forcing one of the game’s most dangerous players to rethink his approach.
“Yeah, he’s incredible defensively and does a lot of little things that are hard to notice,” said Hanifin, who was teammates with Slavin for three seasons in Carolina. “Just his stick. He breaks up so many plays that are hard to break up.
“He’s a great skater; he’s always gapping up and limiting an opponent’s time and space. He’s one of the best in the game at it.”
TEAM USA AND Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger said that he always knew that Slavin was underrated, but actually playing with him at the 4 Nations gave him a greater appreciation for what he does.
“He takes away stuff before it ever happens,” Oettinger said. “It never has time to develop, and he just reads the game so well and is so smart. I’m sure those goalies in Carolina love playing for him.”
Slavin does have an offensive presence. He has had seven seasons of more than 30 points, and is flirting with what would be an eighth season, with 20 points through 56 games this NHL season. In total, he’s had 292 points in 721 career games. For comparison, Hughes has scored 392 points in just 412 games.
But another detail that speaks to Slavin’s effectiveness is how he’s low-risk for penalties, despite consistently playing in high-risk situations (for copious minutes) on a nightly basis.
The 30-year-old Slavin is averaging more than 22 minutes per game for his career, yet he has accrued only 94 total penalty minutes in those 721 games. Another comparison: Team USA forward Brady Tkachuk finished second in the NHL with 134 penalty minutes last season.
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Sullivan explained that Team USA wanted to build the sort of well-rounded team that could thrive in whatever situation was presented.
By adding Slavin to its roster, Team USA has done more than thrive in all situations at the 4 Nations Face-Off. And now, he has put them in position to win it all.
“He’s been a big part of our group’s ability to be stingy defensively,” Sullivan said. “He’s a huge part of our penalty kill. He helps us at our net front. Those are the types of skill sets or complementary skill sets we were looking for when we were putting this group together.
“He may not be the guy that ends up on the scoring sheet or on [‘SportsCenter’], he’s just the guy that helps you win.”
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4 Nations Face-Off final game time tonight: How to watch Team USA vs Canada in Boston
The United States and Canadian national hockey teams square off Thursday night in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game on Thursday night.
The highly-anticipated finale will be a rematch of Saturday’s intense group stage battle between the two neighboring countries who now have even more of a rooting interest against each other in part because of President Donald Trump’s rhetoric about annexing Canada and the proposed tariffs against the USA’s northern neighbor.
Powered by a game-winning goal from Detroit Red Wings star and captain Dylan Larkin, the United States won the group stage matchup, 3-1, in Montreal on Saturday.
The 4 Nations Face-Off tournament replaced the traditional NHL All-Star break. It is a round-robin tournament that featured the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland. Larkin and Sweden’s Lucas Raymond were the two Red Wings to participate in the tournament. The Red Wings resume the second half of their season on Saturday at home against the Minnesota Wild.
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After the NHL barred its players from competing in the last two Winter Olympics, international hockey again has the “best-on-best” facing off against each other. It was the first time the United States had beaten Canada in a best-on-best matchup since the round robin at the 2010 Olympics.
WHAT ARE THOSE:Detroit Red Wings wear new helmets and wonder: ‘Who are we?’
Here is all the information on how to watch Larkin and the United States face off against Canada on Thursday night.
Odds as of Thursday morning via BetMGM.
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