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Instant Reaction: Connor McDavid scores to end thrilling Canada/USA 4 Nations finale
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Photo credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
Ryan Pike
Feb 20, 2025, 23:36 ESTUpdated: Feb 20, 2025, 23:37 EST
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For the second time in six days, Canada and the United States faced each other at the 4 Nations Face-off. Once again, it was a physical, tight-checking game of hockey. This time, it went to overtime before a raucous crowd in Boston.
Just shy of midway through the first period of extra time, Connor McDavid accepted a pass from Mitch Marner and picked the top corner on Connor Hellebuyck to give Canada the 3-2 overtime victory and the 4 Nations Face-Off championship.

The rundown

Canada got on the board first, and fairly early. The Canadians got the puck to the point, where Nathan MacKinnon took advantage of some bodies between him and Connor Hellebuyck. He fluttered a wrist shot through traffic, beating Hellebuyck to make it 1-0 Canada.
But the Americans evened it up a little later. Auston Matthews attempted a wrap-around from behind the net. His attempt didn’t quite hit the target, but it turned into a pass into the slot area. An alert Brady Tkachuk barrelled through a pair of Canadian defenders and chipped the loose puck past Jordan Binnington to tie the game at 1-1.
First period shots were 11-10 Canada. Via Natural Stat Trick, five-on-five scoring chances were 14-7 Canada (high-danger chances were 8-3 Canada).
Midway through the second period, the Americans took the lead. Binnington stopped an initial shot from Matthews, but Jake Sanderson jumped on the rebound to give the USA a 2-1 edge.
But a few minutes later, the Canadians evened things up. Mitch Marner made a heck of a pass to find a wide-open Sam Bennett, and Bennett fired the puck past Hellebuyck to tie the game up at 2-2.
Second period shots were 9-8 USA. Five-on-five scoring chances were 9-4 Canada (high-danger chances were 4-3 Canada).
Both teams had looks in the third period, especially Canada, but the third frame solved nothing.
Third period shots were 8-5 USA. Five-on-five scoring chances were 11-7 USA (high-danger chances were 4-3 USA).
8:18 into a back-and-forth overtime period, Mitch Marner passed from the corner of the USA past a handful of American players to Connor McDavid, all by himself in the slot. McDavid picked the top corner to win the game for Canada by a 3-2 score.
(Binnington was lights-out in overtime.)
Overtime shots were 6-4 USA. Five-on-five scoring chances were 8-3 USA (high-danger chances were 1-0 USA).

This and that

Here’s how Canada lined up to start:
Point – McDavid – Stone
Crosby – MacKinnon – Reinhart
Hagel – Cirelli – Marner
Marchand – Bennett – Jarvis
Toews – Makar
Sanheim – Parayko
Harley – Doughty
Binnington
(Hill)
Scratches: Montembeault, Theodore (injured), Morrissey (sick), Konecny
Here’s how the United States skated to start:
Guentzel – Matthews – Hughes
B.Tkachuk – Eichel – M.Tkachuk
Miller – Larkin – Boldy
Nelson – Trocheck – Kreider
Slavin – Faber
Werenski – Sanderson
Hanifin – Fox
Hellebuyck
(Oettinger)
Scratches: Swayman, McAvoy, Connor

Up next

NHL hockey returns on Saturday. But don’t worry: best-on-best hockey returns at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy next February.
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