In the most anticipated international best-on-best hockey game since the 2014 Olympic Final in Sochi, Team Canada hosts Team USA in the second game of the Four Nations round robin (8:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet/TVA Sports).
Game Day Quotes
Mitch Marner on the reaction of his Leafs teammates to his OT winner vs. Sweden:
A couple of them reached out saying some positive things. It was nice. A lot of them are on vacation enjoying their time, but a lot of them are trying to catch as much as they can. You appreciate that.
Marner on the atmosphere around the game and the possibility of the Canadian fans booing the American anthem:
You appreciate the support for us. I am not going to speak to what they do for the other anthems. It’s what they want to do.
Auston Matthews on the anticipation for a Team Canada vs. Team USA rivalry game:
You can expect it is going to be a pretty great atmosphere and a lot of fun. It is going to be intense.
This is a game everyone is really looking forward to on both sides. We know the building is going to be rocking.
Going to be a lot of fun… I expect it to be fast and physical. Both teams have so much high-end skill. There is going to be such an emphasis on trying to limit those high-end guys and keeping them in front of you as much as possible.
Matthews on whether this is the biggest game he’s played in as a professional hockey player:
I think I have played in some pretty big games — Game 7s and things like that — but with the history, and this is my first opportunity playing in a Canada vs. USA game at this level, it is definitely up there.
Matthews on the keys to keeping Mitch Marner quiet:
He is a special player. We just have to take away his time and space. A lot of guys on the Canadian team play with a lot of skill and pace. They like to attack and challenge you one-on-one. You’re just trying to keep them in front of you as much as possible.
Matthews on the possibility of the Canadian fans booing the anthem:
I am not really going to get into it too much. I obviously don’t love to see that, but it is what it is. It is out of our control. That is all I am going to say about it.
Matthews on his line with Jack Hughes and Jake Guentzel:
We were moving the puck really well and created some great opportunities (against Finland). We were good in our own zone.
The chemistry seems to be gelling pretty well there. We just want to continue to get better tonight and take positive steps forward.
Jon Cooper on the much-anticipated rivalry game vs. the USA:
I think it is going to be really, really, really good hockey players against really, really, really good hockey players.
As you’ve gone through the history of international hockey, a couple of decades ago, USA-Canada probably wasn’t a big deal. Because of the progression of USA Hockey in the last 20 years, it has really propelled them to the forefront of hockey.
Much like Sweden and Finland will be earlier in the day, this is pretty much the same thing, except it is on our turf. It is going to be a ton of fun. The day, for so many reasons, with both of those games going on, will be, to quote Bob Johnson, “A great day for hockey.”
Cooper on Sam Bennett entering the lineup on the fourth line with Brad Marchand:
It will be interesting if Sam and Matthew (Tkachuk) meet in a corner at some point.
I hope nobody is sitting here thinking that Sam was just brought here to play against the USA. He was brought here to play for Team Canada and play his game.
That kid has been nothing but an awesome soldier in this whole group this whole time. As he said to me, “Coop, if you asked me to play for this team, and you told me I wasn’t going to play any of the games, I still would’ve come.”
You are cheering for someone with that type of attitude, but our goal was to make sure everybody got into at least one game. It is just unfortunate that [Sanheim] is getting in because of an injury.
Sam has proven, as he has shown over the last couple of playoffs, that he can rise to the occasion in these big moments, especially when the physicality and the game is at its brightest. He has done a heck of a job. We expect them from him tomorrow.
Team Canada Projected Lines
Forwards
#13 Sam Reinhart — #97 Connor McDavid — #16 Mitch Marner
#87 Sidney Crosby — #29 Nathan MacKinnon — #61 Mark Stone
#38 Brandon Hagel — #71 Anthony Cirelli — #21 Brayden Point
#63 Brad Marchand — #9 Sam Bennett — #24 Seth Jarvis
Defensemen
#5 Devon Toews — #6 Travis Sanheim
#44 Josh Morrissey — #55 Colton Parayko
#48 Thomas Harley — #89 Drew Doughty
Goaltenders
Starter: #50 Jordan Binnington
#33 Adin Hill
Out: Cale Makar, Shea Theodore
Extras: Travis Konecny, Sam Montembault
Team USA Projected Lines
Forwards
#7 Brady Tkachuk — #9 Jack Eichel — #19 Matthew Tkachuk
#59 Jake Guentzel — #34 Auston Matthews — #86 Jack Hughes
#10 JT Miller — #21 Dylan Larkin — #12 Matt Boldy
#29 Brock Nelson — #16 Vincent Trocheck — #81 Kyle Connor
Defensemen
#8 Zach Werenski — #25 Charlie McAvoy
#15 Noah Hanifin — #23 Adam Fox
#74 Jaccob Slavin — #14 Brock Faber
Goaltenders
Starter: #37 Connor Hellebuyck
#30 Jake Oettinger
Extras: Jeremy Swayman, Chris Kreider, Jake Sanderson
