Canada loses cross-border battle to Team USA

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MONTREAL — It started as a road struggle — after which Staff USA delivered the knockout punch.

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Three fights in 9 seconds.

Anyone who tuned in somewhat late missed so much as Staff Canada dropped a 3-1 resolution to the US in entrance of a raucous crowd on Saturday evening on the Bell Centre within the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Solely Canada’s Connor McDavid was in a position to resolve American goalie Connor Hellebuyck, whereas Jake Guentzel scored twice and Dylan Larkin additionally chipped in with a two-point effort.

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With six factors within the standings, the US has booked its ticket to the ultimate on Thursday in Boston.

United States winger Matthew Tkachuk began the festivities by dropping the gloves with Canada’s Brandon Hagel. Brady Tkachuk adopted in his brother’s footsteps with Sam Bennett. Then, J.T. Miller took the worst of it from Canada’s Colton Parayko.

“The message we needed to ship was that it’s our time,” Matthew mentioned. “We’re in a hostile setting and we need to present that we’re not backing down. We’ve had a lot success, and so many gamers over there, are the most effective gamers on the earth.

“We felt on this setting, on this stage within the event, and also you’ve bought to offer these guys credit score as a result of they did the very same factor.”

This was a deliberate assault.

“There was somewhat dialogue happening throughout the day. There was a gaggle chat,” mentioned Brady.

There’s some concern as a result of Matthew Tkachuk didn’t play a shift after the five-minute mark of the third interval and tv cameras caught him telling the teaching employees he couldn’t play once more.

“No concern,” Matthew mentioned.

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Hagel indicated that the struggle with Matthew Tkachuk was a very long time coming.

“That’s the Canadian manner and Canadians have been enjoying that manner their total lives. Anytime there’s a bell to be answered, you don’t again down,” Hagel mentioned.

Coach Jon Cooper known as it “mayhem”

ONE FOR THE AGES

The excitement, and the anticipation on this metropolis, had been unbelievable.

This was the fifteenth time in 9 NHL worldwide tournaments that Canada has met the US. Canada owned a 10-3-1 document in that stretch since 1976. The final time the groups confronted off, Canada scored a 4-2 victory on the 2016 World Cup of Hockey in Toronto.

Paul Henderson, Yvan Cournoyer, Ken Dryden and Serge Savard, heroes from the 1972 Summit Collection in opposition to the Soviet Union, had been in the home.

Canada wanted to stay as much as the hype on dwelling soil however the U.S. workforce saved the likes of Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Brad Marchand and Mitch Marner in verify.

After opening this tourney with a 4-3 extra time victory in opposition to Sweden on Wednesday, Canada wanted to take its sport to a different stage in opposition to the U.S..

“I assumed we competed laborious,” mentioned Crosby. “Like we’ve mentioned on a regular basis, we’ve simply bought to maintain getting higher. We’ve bought to be taught from this one.”

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Cooper shifted his traces round to attempt to create offence.

However after scoring the opening aim, Hellebuyck shut the door as Canada faces a must-win on Monday at TD Backyard in Boston in opposition to Finland to maintain its hope of creating the ultimate on Thursday.

The U.S. workforce did an excellent job limiting the Canadian possibilities.

MEASURING STICKS

This technology of USA gamers desires to indicate it has emerged because the No. 1 hockey nation forward of Canada.

Captain Auston Matthews was going head-to-head with McDavid and Crosby, which meant Matthews needed to raise his sport. These video games are measuring sticks and he needed to measure up together with the remainder of the U.S. stars.

The Tkachuks, together with Jack Eichel, helped raise the US to a different stage in a 6-1 victory over Finland on Thursday. Hellebuyck was barely examined and this was an even bigger problem than the one he confronted in opposition to Finland.

After 40 minutes, the People had been forward 2-1.

A nasty change resulted in a 2-on-1, Larkin used J.T. Miller as a decoy and fired it by Canada goaltender Jordan Binnington on the glove aspect at 13:33 of the second interval. There was nothing Binnington may do on that one, and Larkin picked his spot.

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“That was among the best experiences of my life. Simply an unbelievable hockey sport,” mentioned Larkin. “The Tkachuk brothers and (Miller) what a begin, and credit score to these guys for answering the bell. The gang, it was a fantastic evening for our sport and a fantastic evening for this rivalry.

“Can’t wait to get again to Boston and get on dwelling soil.”

Solely moments after Charlie McAvoy crushed McDavid with a clear hit, Jake Guentzel scored his second of the tourney to tie the sport 1-1 at 10:15 of the primary interval. That discovered its manner by Binnington and he has to cease it.

McDavid opened the scoring by utilizing a burst of velocity to beat Hellebuyck with a backhand excessive on the glove aspect at 5:31 of the primary interval. The rink erupted, and the way couldn’t it after such an emotional starting?

FORCED TO SHIFT GEARS

Canada was compelled to make one change after Cale Makar was unable to swimsuit up due to sickness.

That meant Dallas Stars defenceman Thomas Harley, a late addition after Shea Theodore suffered a wrist damage in Recreation 1, suited up.

It was an odd state of affairs as a result of he wasn’t even allowed to formally be part of the workforce till he was wanted. That meant Harley couldn’t skate with Canada at their morning skate within the Montreal suburb of Brossard.

Harley skated beside Drew Doughty within the third pairing.

Makar performed greater than 28 minutes within the opener in opposition to Sweden, so this was an enormous loss for the nation.

bgarrioch@postmedia.com

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