O, Canada!

Entering this tournament, it felt like a fun idea that could be a good watch, but it turned into a full-on battle for the ages. This championship game all but felt like an Olympic gold medal game as the players went all out and the fans were fully invested. Just like the last best-on-best Olympics, the U.S. won in the round-robin, but Canada got their redemption when it counted the most. 

Your game in 10:

1.   This game got off to a much different start than the first time these two played. The intensity and pace were there, but there were no fights, and the physicality was dialed down as there appeared to be some nerves on both sides of the puck.

The first big chance of the period came from a Colton Parayko rush up ice for a 2v1 that was denied, and then, on what seemed like a much less dangerous chance, Canada scored.

It was a good “playoff-style” goal. Sam Reinhart got in on the forecheck and, after a bad exchange between Zach Werenski and Jake Sanderson, caused a turnover. The puck went to the point where Thomas Harley passed it to Nathan MacKinnon on the wall, and not only did MacKinnon take the puck and pull high, but Harley cut through the ice and swung down.

The subtle off-the-puck movement by Harley helped create space for MacKinnon — a small example of why you need defensemen who are active offensively at the highest level of the game (in other words, don’t just pass it to a high-quality forward and stand around expecting them to make a play). The cut-in by Harley opened up extra ice for MacKinnon to get his head up and find a lane to shoot the puck through traffic.

Canada scored first in every game of the tournament.

2.   Canada made a big push to double their lead as Seth Jarvis got stonewalled multiple times in front off of a Drew Doughty shot-pass, while Sam Bennett drove the net hard and almost jammed it through Hellebuyck.

By the end of the period, Canada doubled up the States in high-danger shot attempts and chances, but the U.S. scored, and the game was tied.

With just over three minutes left in the period on a dump-in, Devon Toews tried to backhand the puck D-to-D on the rimmed puck, but he didn’t get all of it, and his partner Cale Makar drifted too far, expecting a better pass. With the puck traveling across so slowly, Auston Matthews swooped in and then attempted a farside wrap-round attempt that we have seen him score on so many times. The puck rolled off his stick and landed on Brady Tkachuk’s as he one-timed it in right in the slot.

Tkachuk didn’t get all of it — the puck was bouncing — but it was a bit of a bang-bang play in a high-danger spot, and the U.S. twice got to the puck first with Canadian defenders in the area. I thought Canada played a really good period overall, but it’s never a great feeling or spot to be in when you should’ve won the period and it’s tied 1-1.

3.    The U.S. took the lead in the second period on a goal that started with a dump-in and a Brady Tkachuk forecheck. Crosby ended up at center on the sequence and MacKinnon on left wing, so when the puck went low to high, MacKinnon had to close on the defenseman, which he rarely has to do in the NHL. The shot got through easily because MacKinnon didn’t close the space, and when the rebound kicked out, Crosby overskated it a bit.

Matthews swooped in and tried a backdoor pass to Tkachuk, and it got deflected right to Jake Sanderson, who whacked it into the empty net. It was a fortunate bounce for the States and a very small breakdown by Canada at best, but the margins are that tight in a game of this calibre, and it was all the Americans needed (a little space at the point and a little space in the slot).

For Auston Matthews, it was his second primary point of the night. He recorded four shots on net to go along with the points and played the fourth most among American forwards — which I would consider to be a mistake by the Americans, who didn’t have three forwards better than Matthews, even if he did get beat on the winner. Truthfully, it was a really strong showing from Matthews in this game.

4.    The game’s only power play came in the second period, shortly after the Americans took the lead, and it went Canada’s way. It was surprising to see them keep the top unit out for essentially the full two minutes, especially after the Americans broke a stick — making it a 5v3.5 — and MacKinnon passed it right into their skates for an easy clear. Canada’s best chance came on a scramble following a MacKinnon shot, but the best chance of the power play was a U.S. 2v1 the other way, where Dylan Larkin followed up his initial shot with another one that he skied.

Canada showed great discipline the entire game, and while there were a few plays where fans booed and complained, they did a good job of not taking any penalties while defending hard and checking diligently.

After the failed power play, Canada created one of their best chances of the game after Sidney Crosby got in on the forecheck and laid a good hit to get the puck back. The puck went back to MacKinnon, who put a good shot for a rebound that kicked right out to Crosby, but Jaccob Slavin got his stick on it first to knock it away.

Slavin was second to his defense partner, Brock Faber, for time on ice in this game with 28:32, and he was elite defensively — closing gaps, saving goals, and blocking shots (one was particularly memorable on Seth Jarvis in the slot). He was really effective against Canada the first game as well and played an excellent tournament overall.

5.    Matthew Tkachuk took a few shifts in the second period, but he didn’t play in roughly the final seven minutes of the period and did not touch the ice again for the night, finishing with just 6:47. It was a huge development for Canada and the game, and it’s also a potentially huge development for the Leafs, who are three points behind the Panthers with two games in hand in the Atlantic Division race. Brother Brady did not sound overly optimistic about Matthews’ status after the game. 

6.   With six minutes left in the period, Canada tied the game. The play started with Bennett creating a neutral zone turnover. Bennett was really effective in this tournament, and this play showed the exact reason why — he’s very disruptive with his physicality and fearlessness. He gets in the way and disrupts plays, which creates space and causes odd-man opportunities.

When the puck was knocked free, Mitch Marner swooped in and gained the zone. For a split second, Canada had a 3v2 of sorts developing against the U.S. backcheckers, but it was enough to free the defensemen. Marner made a good decision to cut in, pulling in Adam Fox enough for Bennett to slip through, and Marner made the pass over to send Bennett in all alone.

From there, Bennett finished really well. It was a play where you thought he might try to pull it to his backhand across the crease, but instead, he froze Hellebuyck and roofed it short-side over his shoulder. It was a high-end finish against an elite goaltender on a clean 1v1 look, and it was a great play by Marner to facilitate it.

Bennett played the ninth most among Canadian forwards despite leading them in shots on net (6) and hits (5). He probably should have played more. He was a beast in both games against the States.

7.    After his first shift of the game, when he turned it over on the wall, Mitch Marner was really good. He created at least five good chances throughout the game, and even though he didn’t record a shot on the net, he was dangerous, with good jump in his game. On his first assist, he set up Bennett, and in the second period, Cooper flipped Marner back up to the McDavid line alongside Point, pushing Stone down the lineup.

Stone really struggled to keep up with the pace of McDavid and Point, and with Marner going, it started to swing the line in the right direction. At the same time, it also hurt the third line with Cirelli and Hagel, who weren’t nearly as effective or dangerous without Marner facilitating.

It’s a good example for the Leafs‘ purposes — Matthews and Marner driving their own line to start, but when push comes to shove in crunch time, load it up to get the job done. It’s never going to be an either/or situation, but the odds of the Leafs putting together three strong lines without splitting up Matthews, Nylander, and Marner are really, really slim. Both Matthews and Marner were excellent line drivers in this game, and each left with two primary assists when it was all said and done.

8.   Canada led the game in offensive-zone time and overall puck possession in regulation.

They created a couple really good chances to finish the game in regulation as well. A deflected Cale Makar point shot hit the post, and late in the third period, Marner grabbed a loose puck in the slot and stepped around a diving Sanderson before attempting to hit Brayden Point at the backdoor; it just got deflected (and JT Miller almost put it in his own net afterward). Binnington was also sharp when called on, including stopping Jake Guentzel on a mini-breakaway. 

9.   Shots in overtime were 6-4 for the U.S., and the Americans were credited with 15 shot attempts as they swarmed the net on several plays, but the much-maligned Jordan Binnington stood tall. He did the same thing against Sweden in the first game in overtime.

The most dangerous player for U.S. in overtime was Matthews — first, he was robbed on a backdoor pass as Binnington went post to post, then he got a good shot off right in the slot that Binnington got a pad on before gloving Brady Tkachuk’s rebound attempt to save the game.

Binnington and Hockey Canada took a lot of heat for the goaltending throughout the tournament, but with all the chips on the table, Binnington was excellent. They went with him in part because of his championship and big-game experience, including winning a Game 7 with a shutout in Boston. At the end of the day, it mattered. Connor McDavid was named MVP of the game, but truthfully, I thought Binnington deserved it.

10.    McDavid and Marner started the tournament together, so it was fitting that they ended this tournament together. After McDavid won the battle off the faceoff against Matthews and attempted a shot that went wide, Makar got the puck on the point and made a heads-up play to the far-side rim the puck to Marner in the opposite corner. Point went to the net and McDavid leaked out to the high slot.

The most surprising part of the game-winning play was Matthews drifting from McDavid to Marner. He plays with Marner all the time; he has to know Marner will pass in that situation and won’t remotely consider shooting. But Marner is good at sucking defenders in, and he waited before laying off an easy pass to McDavid, who had all day to look up and pick his corner.

Just as Craig Berube predicted, 3-2 Canada. 

Game Flow: 5v5 Shot Attempts

Heat Map: 5v5 Shot Attempts

Game Highlights: Team Canada 3 vs. Team USA 2 (OT)

 

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