A great start got scary late for Canada as they took on Finland in their final round-robin game of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Some line changes, Cale Makar’s return to the lineup, and a huge empty net goal from Sidney Crosby, however, would seal Canada’s berth in the Championship against the United States with a 5-3 win.
Connor McDavid would get a new pair of wingers in Brayden Point and Mark Stone, while Nathan MacKinnon centred Sam Reinhart and Sidney Crosby. McDavid would finish the game with a goal an an assist with three shots on goal, while Point racked up a goal and two shots. Stone, meanwhile, didn’t register on the scoreboard. MacKinnon, meanwhile, had a pair of goals, Reinhart a trio of assists and Crosby a goal and an assist.

Recap

Canada’s hot start saw them kick the game off with none other than Connor McDavid breaking open the scoring in his second straight game.
McDavid and his new linemates were on the forecheck four minutes into the game, when Finnish forward Roope Hintz fired a no-look pass from deep in his own zone, trying to clear it. The only problem was that he sent it right to McDavid.
The Oilers captain would carry it down low, before circling around the faceoff dot and firing a wrist shot that would beat Kevin Lankinen.
And it didn’t take long for Canada to build on that lead.
Off the next faceoff, the puck stalled in the neutral zone, before popping out and into Finland’s zone. Nathan MacKinnon was quick in, grabbing it and firing it to give Canada a 2-0 lead.
Elevated alongside McDavid, Brayden Point would keep pouring it on. Finland was on the attack 13 minutes in when McDavid scooped up a puck, carrying it out of the Canadian zone. He would pass to Travis Sanheim, who fired a shot to the next that created a juicy rebound for Point to clean up.
The goal would chase Lankinen from the crease as Finland brought in Juuse Saros, but that wouldn’t change Canada’s ability to score.
Just five minutes into the second period, Canada was cycling the puck low in Finland’s zone before Sam Reinhart sent a pass to MacKinnon, whose quick one-time wrist shot beat Saros.
Finland wasn’t about to roll over, however, as Suomi roared back in the third period.
It wouldn’t come until later in the period, though, with Esa Lindell kicking off a three-goal run. Artturi Lehkonen would poke a puck to Lindell with just under seven minutes left in the third, whose quick shot beat Binnington, breaking a shutout bid.
Then, it was Mikael Granlund scoring a pair of 6-on-5 goals before Sidney Crosby would seal the game with an empty net goal.

Backhanders…

  • After playing with Reinhart and Mitch Marner for all of Canada’s game against Sweden and part of Saturday’s against The States, McDavid’s improved linemates seemed to fit well on his wing. But even moreso, Canada’s second line looked excellent, too. One has to think this top-six will remain the same against USA in the final.
  • Canada head coach Jon Cooper was diligent with ice time, as the only two players who played over 20 minutes were defencemen Cale Makar and Devon Toews, who played 23:57 and 22:58, respectively. In terms of forwards who played the most, it was Reinhart, Point and McDavid, who played 16:37, 16:01 and 15:55, respectively. Being able to win in regulation while keeping some of the big guns’ ice time low is big.
  • Does Canada regret going with Jordan Binnington this afternoon? He had a strong first two periods negating some good Finland scoring chances, but his play in the third period was concerning as Canada allowed three goals. They’ve essentially backed themselves into a corner of going with him in the Championship game Thursday night.
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.

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