{"id":16637,"date":"2025-02-16T13:54:29","date_gmt":"2025-02-16T13:54:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/16\/u-s-beats-canada-3-1-in-fight-filled-4-nations-matchup\/"},"modified":"2025-02-16T13:54:29","modified_gmt":"2025-02-16T13:54:29","slug":"u-s-beats-canada-3-1-in-fight-filled-4-nations-matchup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/16\/u-s-beats-canada-3-1-in-fight-filled-4-nations-matchup\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. beats Canada 3-1 in fight-filled 4 Nations matchup"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Canada and the United States have played some heated games on hockey\u2019s international stage.<\/p>\n

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The rivalry reached a new \u2014 and nasty \u2014 level Saturday.<\/p>\n

Dylan Larkin scored the go-ahead goal in the second period as the U.S. beat Canada<\/a> 3-1 after a punch-filled start that saw three fights within nine seconds to open the countries\u2019 electric matchup at the 4 Nations Face-Off.<\/p>\n

Jake Guentzel added two goals of his own, including one into an empty net, for the Americans. Connor Hellebuyck made 25 saves.<\/p>\n

Connor McDavid replied for the Canadians, who were minus No. 1 defenceman Cale Makar because of illness. Jordan Binnington stopped 20 shots.<\/p>\n

The U.S., which hammered Finland 6-1 in its curtain-raiser two nights earlier, clinched a spot in Thursday\u2019s final in Boston with a second consecutive regulation victory that gives the country six points through two games.<\/p>\n

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Canada, Sweden and Finland each have two points at an event that represents the closest men\u2019s hockey has come to best-on-best since the 2016 World Cup.<\/p>\n

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The NHL went to five straight Olympics from 1998 through 2014 before skipping 2018 for financial reasons. The league then withdrew from the 2022 Games because of COVID-19 worries.<\/p>\n

The round-robin showcase that\u2019s serving as an appetizer to the NHL\u2019s return to the Olympics next year now shifts to TD Garden for a pair of games Monday \u2014 Canada versus Finland, Sweden versus U.S. \u2014 before Thursday\u2019s final between the two teams with the best records.<\/p>\n

After legendary MMA fighter Georges St-Pierre introduced Canada, which beat Sweden 4-3 in overtime Wednesday, and the deafening Bell Centre crowd once again lustily booed the American national anthem before puck drop, forward Brandon Hagel and U.S. counterpart Matthew Tkachuk fought two seconds into the first period.<\/p>\n

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Canadian forward Sam Bennett, who drew into the lineup for Travis Konecny, and Brady Tkachuk of the U.S. then dropped the gloves one second later off the ensuing faceoff with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looking on from the stands.<\/p>\n

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Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was also in attendance in the stands with his family.<\/p>\n

The teams played the next six seconds without fisticuffs before defenceman Colton Parayko fought U.S. winger J.T. Miller to more raucous approval inside the crackling rink.<\/p>\n

A number of fans also booed the U.S. anthem Thursday, continuing a trend at Canadian professional sporting events after President Donald Trump announced potentially crippling tariffs and continues to muse about the country\u2019s northern neighbour becoming its 51st state.<\/p>\n

Saturday\u2019s action finally pivoted to hockey \u2014 and players on both sides finished every check with punishing vigour.<\/p>\n

McDavid opened the scoring after taking a pass in stride from Drew Doughty and blowing past Charlie McAvoy before roofing a backhand on Hellebuyck at 5:31 of the first to nearly blow the top off the rink.<\/p>\n

McAvoy got a measure of revenge moments later when he rocked McDavid with a clean hit.<\/p>\n

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Guentzel tied it at 10:15 on a five-hole shot Binnington will want back, but the goaltender redeemed himself on a power play later in the period when denied the American forward from in tight.<\/p>\n

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Binnington made a nice stop on Brady Tkachuk in the second before Hellebuyck denied Nathan MacKinnon.<\/p>\n

Larkin, who hit the post earlier in the period, quickly took advantage of an uncharacteristic Sidney Crosby turnover later in the shift and beat Binnington by the blocker on a 2-on-1.<\/p>\n