Just days after their chaotic matchup, Canada and the United States will be doing battle once again in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game.
The Canadians needed to secure their spot in the final game of pool play Monday against Finland. They jumped out to a 4-0 lead early and had to hold on late as the Fins rallied with three goals in the third period. The result rendered Team USA vs. Sweden meaningless, and the Swedes earned the 2-1 win.
Now, Canada and the United States will rekindle their rivalry in Thursday’s championship. The Americans got the best of the Canadians in a 3-1 win in Saturday’s game, which featured three fights in the opening nine seconds. This came after Montreal’s Bell Centre crowd booed throughout the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The teams now head to Boston for the championship showdown.
Team USA did get some good news early Thursday morning. Coach Mike Sullivan declared that the entire roster, except for Charlie McAvoy, is available to play. That means that both Matthew and Brady Tkachuk will suit up again as well as captain Auston Matthews. Both Matthew Tkachuk and Auston Matthews were among American players held out of action against Sweden on Monday for precautionary reasons. Brady Tkachuk suffered an injury in that game and did not return.
The matchup has all the makings of an instant classic that can captivate fans around the world. But before we get to the game on Thursday night, you can look back at the results of the pool play games below as well as the full rosters of the teams involved in the tournament. Plus, we have information on how you can watch the battle in Boston on Thursday.
Schedule, scores
- Wednesday, Feb. 12: Canada 4, Sweden 3 (OT)
- Thursday, Feb. 13: USA 6, Finland, 1
- Saturday, Feb. 15: Finland 4, Sweden 3 (OT)
- Saturday, Feb. 15: USA 3, Canada 1
- Monday, Feb. 17: Canada 5, Finland 3
- Monday, Feb. 17: Sweden 2, United States 1
- Thursday, Feb. 20: Championship — USA vs. Canada, 8 p.m. | ESPN I TD Garden
Where to watch the 4 Nations Face-Off final
When: 8 p.m. ET
Where: TD Garden — Boston, Massachusetts
TV: ESPN
Stream: fubo (try for free)
Rosters
Canada
- Captain: Sidney Crosby (Penguins)
- Assistant Captains: Connor McDavid (Oilers), Cale Makar (Avalanche)
- Forwards: Sam Bennett (Panthers), Anthony Cirelli (Lightning), Sidney Crosby (Penguins), Brandon Hagel (Lightning), Seth Jarvis (Hurricanes), Travis Konecny (Flyers), Nathan MacKinnon (Avalanche), Brad Marchand (Bruins), Mitch Marner (Maple Leafs), Connor McDavid (Oilers), Brayden Point (Lightning), Sam Reinhart (Panthers), Mark Stone (Golden Knights)
- Defensemen: Drew Doughty (Kings), Cale Makar (Avalanche), Josh Morrissey (Jets), Colton Parayko (Blues), Travis Sanheim (Flyers), Shea Theodore (Golden Knights), Devon Toews (Avalanche)
- Goaltenders: Jordan Binnington (Blues), Adin Hill (Golden Knights), Sam Montembeault (Canadiens)
Finland
- Captain: Aleksander Barkov (Panthers)
- Assistant Captains: Sebastian Aho (Hurricanes), Mikael Granlund (Sharks), Mikko Rantanen (Hurricanes)
- Forwards: Sebastian Aho (Hurricanes), Joel Armia (Canadiens), Aleksander Barkov (Panthers), Mikael Granlund (Sharks), Erik Haula (Devils), Roope Hintz (Stars), Kaapo Kakko (Kraken), Patrik Laine (Canadiens), Artturi Lehkonen (Avalanche), Anton Lundell (Panthers), Eetu Luostarinen (Panthers), Mikko Rantanen (Hurricanes), Teuvo Teravainen (Blackhawks)
- Defensemen: Henri Jokiharju (Sabres), Esa Lindell (Stars), Niko Mikkola (Panthers), Olli Maatta (Utah Hockey Club), Rasmus Ristolainen (Flyers), Juuso Valimaki (Utah Hockey Club), Urho Vaakanainen (Rangers)
- Goaltenders: Kevin Lankinen (Canucks), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Sabres), Juuse Saros (Predators)
Sweden
- Captain: Victor Hedman (Lightning)
- Assistant Captains: Mattias Ekholm (Oilers), Erik Karlsson (Penguins), William Nylander (Maple Leafs)
- Forwards: Viktor Arvidsson (Oilers), Jesper Bratt (Devils), Leo Carlsson (Ducks), Joel Eriksson Ek (Wild), Filip Forsberg (Predators), Rickard Rakell (Penguins), Adrian Kempe (Kings), Elias Lindholm (Bruins), William Nylander (Maple Leafs), Gustav Nyquist (Predators), Elias Pettersson (Canucks), Lucas Raymond (Red Wings), Mika Zibanejad (Rangers)
- Defensemen: Rasmus Andersson (Flames), Jonas Brodin (Wild), Rasmus Dahlin (Sabres), Mattias Ekholm (Oilers), Gustav Forsling (Panthers), Victor Hedman (Lightning), Erik Karlsson (Penguins)
- Goaltenders: Samuel Ersson (Flyers), Filip Gustavsson (Wild), Linus Ullmark (Senators)
United States
- Captain: Auston Matthews (Maple Leafs)
- Assistant Captains: Charlie McAvoy (Bruins), Matthew Tkachuk (Panthers)
- Forwards: Matt Boldy (Wild), Kyle Connor (Jets), Jack Eichel (Golden Knights), Jake Guentzel (Lightning), Jack Hughes (Devils), Chris Kreider (Rangers), Dylan Larkin (Red Wings), Auston Matthews (Maple Leafs), J.T. Miller (Canucks), Brock Nelson (Islanders), Brady Tkachuk (Senators), Matthew Tkachuk (Panthers), Vincent Trocheck (Rangers)
- Defensemen: Brock Faber (Wild), Adam Fox (Rangers), Noah Hanifin (Golden Knights), Charlie McAvoy (Bruins), Jake Sanderson (Senators), Jaccob Slavin (Hurricanes), Zach Werenski (Blue Jackets)
- Goaltenders: Connor Hellebuyck (Jets), Jake Oettinger (Stars), Jeremy Swayman (Bruins)
