U.S. beats Canada 3-1 in fight-filled 4 Nations matchup – Edmonton

Canada and the United States have a long history of intense matchups on the international hockey stage.

This rivalry reached a new level of intensity on Saturday.

Dylan Larkin scored the go-ahead goal in the second period as the U.S. defeated Canada 3-1 in a game that started with three fights within nine seconds, setting the tone for an electrifying matchup at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Jake Guentzel scored two goals, including one into an empty net, for the Americans. Connor Hellebuyck made 25 saves.

Connor McDavid scored for Canada, who were missing their top defenseman Cale Makar due to illness. Jordan Binnington stopped 20 shots.

The U.S. secured a spot in the final in Boston with a 3-1 victory over Canada, following their 6-1 win against Finland in the opening game.

Canada, Sweden, and Finland each have two points in the tournament, which is the closest men’s hockey has come to best-on-best competition since the 2016 World Cup.

The NHL participated in five consecutive Olympics from 1998 to 2014 before skipping the 2018 Games due to financial reasons. The league then opted out of the 2022 Olympics due to concerns related to COVID-19.

The round-robin event, serving as a prelude to the NHL’s return to the Olympics next year, will now move to TD Garden for two games on Monday – Canada vs. Finland, Sweden vs. U.S. – before the final on Thursday between the top two teams.

Georges St-Pierre introduced Team Canada, who defeated Sweden 4-3 in overtime, and the crowd at the Bell Centre once again booed the American national anthem. Forward Brandon Hagel and Matthew Tkachuk of the U.S. engaged in a fight just two seconds into the game, followed by another fight between Sam Bennett of Canada and Brady Tkachuk of the U.S. one second later. The physicality continued with another fight between Colton Parayko and J.T. Miller.

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Canada pulled Binnington for an extra attacker in the final minutes, but Guentzel sealed the victory with an empty-net goal, prompting chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” from the American fans.

Canada’s roster adjustments included dressing defenseman Thomas Harley in place of the injured Shea Theodore. Cale Makar could return if he regains his health.

Among the notable attendees were Marie-Philip Poulin, Michelle Kwan, and members of Canada’s 1972 Summit Series team who were honored during the game.

Former Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price also received a warm reception during a TV timeout.

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