On Thursday night, hockey fans will witness some of the best players in the world competing in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The United States clinched its spot in the final with an emotional 3-1 win over Canada on Saturday, a game featuring three fights in the first nine seconds of play.
On Monday, Canada scored two goals 46 seconds apart early in the first period before ultimately prevailing 5-3, securing the final spot in the championship game. Canada’s Connor McDavid (1.19 average game score), Sidney Crosby (1.24 average game score), and Nathan MacKinnon (1.14 average game score) have been the tournament’s best players, together with Zach Werenski (1.47 average game score) and Connor Hellebuyck from the United States. Who will emerge victorious in this epic showdown?
Canada’s McDavid and MacKinnon
McDavid and MacKinnon have proven they can step up in big moments during Stanley Cup finals and Game 7 performances. Drew Doughty (0.52) has been the bedrock of Canada’s defense, especially after fellow defenseman Shea Theodore was injured in the tournament’s first game. Doughty’s performance is even more impressive because he has missed 90% of the 2024-25 with an injury and only made the team’s roster as a replacement for injured Alex Pietrangelo.
And let’s not forget about Crosby, who is Canada’s points leader (5). However, the main question surrounding Canada is whether they possess enough scoring depth. Canada’s scoring has come primarily from its top two lines, and they will need contributions from their third and fourth units to defeat the United States.
Goaltender Jordan Binnington has been underwhelming in the tournament, posting a.892 save percentage and 2.60 goals-against average. However, head coach Jon Cooper has not waivered from naming Binnington the starter, and Canada’s defense has looked much better with the return of Cale Makar, who missed Saturday’s matchup against the U.S. with an illness.
United States Werenski and Hellebuyck
Werenski is tied for the tournament lead in points, stepping up in the absence of Quinn Hughes. Hellebuyck leads the league in goals against average (2.07) and wins (34) and is second in save percentage (.925). The 31-year-old goaltender is another Vezina Trophy away from being the only American to win three. “He’s one of the best in the world right now,” New York Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick said. “One easy way to sum that up was that we played them maybe a month or two ago and we do scouting reports on every goalie we’re playing. One of the things that kept coming up is: if he sees it, he’s going to stop it.”
Hellebuyck made his NHL debut during the 2015-16 season, and no other goalie in the NHL has played or started more games in that span. The 6-foot-4, 205 pound goaltender ranks sixth in save percentage and sixth in overtime wins since his rookie season. Since the 2022-23 season, Hellebuyck has posted a 72.51 goals saved above expected, per Natural Stat Trick, which leads the NHL over that period. Here are just a few more accolades earned by the Winnipeg Jets goaltender:
- Ranks third in career shutouts among U.S. goalies
- Ranks fourth in career save percentage among U.S. goalies
- Ranks sixth in career wins (309)
- Ranks seventh in goals-against average among U.S. goalies with more than 100 games (2.58)
Be sure to tune in for the final game of the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, on ESPN/ESPN+/Disney+.
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