Now, nobody had that on their 4 Nations Face-Off Bingo card, despite the undeniably heated political climate that acted as a backdrop behind Saturday’s Canada-USA round-robin game. Before the game was 10 seconds old, three fights had broken out. A few others probably could have too, in what somehow re-evolved into a game that was simply chippy, that ended 3-1 for the USA on the strength of a Dylan Larkin goal.
Immediately after puck drop, Canada’s Brandon Hagel and Matthew Tkachuk dropped the gloves, the former scoring a spirited takedown. Asked after the game if he felt pressured to fight by Tkachuk, Hagel said no and that in that situation he wasn’t backing down.
“I think a little bit of the talk was these guys are going to take over the Canadian way, but I’m not going to let it happen,” he said.
Game Recap
Following his older brother’s lead at the next faceoff, Brady Tkachuk then squared off with Sam Bennett, inserted into the lineup by head coach Jon Cooper to help cancel out the physicality the USA had demonstrated in their opening game against Finland. Tkachuk scored the takedown to avenge his brother, but that just meant nothing had really been settled. So, at the next stoppage in play in front of Canada’s net, J.T. Miller and Colton Parayko went at it as well, Miller getting an extra two for cross-checking.
On the scraps, according to somebody at ice level, Matthew Tkachuk asked Brandon Hagel to fight. After the fight, Brady Tkachuk yelled to Sam Bennett, “We’re going next.” Bennett was on the bench, so he came onto the ice for the faceoff to accept the challenge. And JT Miller was…
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 16, 2025
The Miller-Parayko tilt didn’t have as clear of a winner, so the only thing left to do was play hockey instead, apparently. Connor McDavid opened the scoring, going top shelf on USA starter Connor Hellebuyck five minutes in, while Jake Guentzel replied five minutes later by beating Jordan Binnington. With the score tied 1-1 in the second, Larkin scored the difference-maker, opting to shoot on a two-on-one rush with Miller 13:33 into the frame to beat Binnington.
“[It was] two teams that obviously have a lot of respect for each other offensively,” said McDavid after the game. “It comes down to a shot. I think that’s the way we expected it to go. It just didn’t go our way.”
Guentzel sealed the victory for the USA with his second of the game into an empty net. Larkin earned his second point of the game, with an assist on the marker. Hellebuyck finished with 25 saves, Binnington with 20.
The tournament now moves from Montreal to Boston for the final two round-robin games on Feb. 17, followed by the final on Feb. 20. The field-leading USA, who are now guaranteed a spot in the final with six points, faces off against Sweden, who have suffered two overtime defeats for two points in the standings.
Related: Guide to the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off
Canada meanwhile plays Finland, each with a regulation loss and overtime win for two points themselves. If Canada wins in regulation, regardless of the outcome of the other game, they, possessing the tiebreaker over Sweden, move to the Final.
“It means we’ve got a Game 7 Monday,” said Hagel. “If we can do our job, we’ve got these guys again.”