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Kristen Shilton
With a berth in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game on the line, Canada started off hot with two quick goals from Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon en route to a 5-3 win over Finland.
There was late drama, as the Finns scored three goals in the third period to pull within a goal, before Canada’s captain Sidney Crosby scored an empty-net goal to seal the deal.
The win pushes Canada’s round-robin point total to five, putting them out of reach of Sweden:
Here are grades for Canada and Finland, including the biggest takeaways, the key player to watch in the next game for Canada and lingering questions for both countries.
Grading the teams
Canada: A-
This was the Canada we expected to see at 4 Nations. The Canadians were immediately engaged on both sides of the puck and finally got their star-studded offense rolling with three first period goals from Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Brayden Point.
Having Cale Makar back in the lineup — after he missed Saturday’s matchup against the U.S. with an illness — gave the Canadians’ defense a noted boost, as he and Colorado teammate Devon Toews were excellent anchoring the team’s blue line.
Coach Jon Cooper put Jordan Binnington back in net for this one, and Binnington rewarded his coach’s confidence with a solid showing between the pipes. And Cooper’s changes to his forward groups — particularly creating a top line of McDavid, Point and Mark Stone — paid off with a more balanced attack.
The key, though, was that Canada (mostly) didn’t make the sort of costly mistakes (i.e. turnovers) they did against Sweden and the U.S. Canada was solid in every aspect and appeared to be at their most dangerous heading into a final clash with the Americans.
Finland: C+
The Finns looked deflated when McDavid scored Canada’s opening goal early in the first period, and they could never quite reignite the swagger that carried them past Sweden. At least not until the game’s final minutes, when they scored a pair of 6-on-5 goals to cut the Canadian lead to 4-3.
But the surge — driven by Mikael Granlund, scoring twice in the final three minutes — was too late for Finland. By the time Kevin Lankinen had allowed four goals (and was replaced by Juuse Saros) in the second period, Finland was in an hole against an overwhelming amount of talent on the other side.
The Finns’ smothering forecheck had been their calling card throughout 4 Nations play, but Canada also countered with their best defense showing of the tournament, taking away opportunities for Finland to establish extensive zone time. What pockets of pressure Finland did generate around Binnington produced nothing on the scoresheet. Even Finland’s power play in the second period that might have sparked some momentum came up empty.
In the end, Canada made the most of its opportunities when Finland simply could not.
What we learned
Canada finds chemistry — and balance
Canada managed just one goal against the U.S. despite a star-studded lineup of offensive firepower. So, coach Jon Cooper made adjustments against Finland to start maximizing more of the team’s talent, and it worked — Canada’s new top line of Connor McDavid, Mark Stone and Braydon Point produced two of the the game’s first three goals (courtesy of McDavid and Point), and MacKinnon added two goals from the second line.
That sort of scoring explosion is exactly what Canada needed to create confidence and take control from the get-go. In a short event like this, it’s not always obvious how players will catch on with one another. Even if it took a few games, tapping into the correct combinations now is everything Canada needed to feel confident going into the final.
The Canadian way on display
Cooper spoke about his team’s identity before Monday’s game and emphasized that his team shouldn’t try to manufacture something from nothing — which has come back to hurt them in previous games. Canada showed against Finland how much difference discipline and patience can make.
Throughout much of the game, Canada wasn’t forcing plays and turning pucks over. There was a clear commitment to highlighting their two-way game, back-checking and breaking the puck out well in transition. The details Canada had skimmed over before were their strength against Finland, and it was how the team prevented the furious Finnish forecheck from becoming a problem.
Now, Canada did get away from those intricacies in the final minutes when Finland pushed back with a pair of goals. But there was also an urgency in Canada’s overall performance in this elimination game that bodes well for what’s to come against the U.S. There was no saving it for the third period; Canada was ready to play from the start and injected each shift with that energy.
Player to watch for the final
Canada’s goaltending was under heavy scrutiny well before the tournament started. And Binnington saved his best performance — so far — for Canada’s first elimination game. He was excellent when it counted most against Finland — particularly at the end of the second period — and what Canada needs is for Binnington to hit copy/paste on that come Thursday night.
Cooper has said repeatedly that Binnington has gotten the call because he gives Canada a chance to win. But it’s not just how many saves Binnington makes against the Americans; it’s about making the timely stops when they matter most.
And yes, Binnington did give up two 6-on-5 goals late to Finland, but that was also a product of the players in front of him. Bend, don’t break. Binnington has improved game-over-game at 4 Nations so far. Canada must hope he has saved the best for last — especially if Connor Hellebuyck turns up in Vezina Trophy-worthy form at the other end.
Lingering questions
Can Canada crack Connor Hellebuyck?
Canada put its offensive prowess on display early against Finland to take a 4-0 lead, but then didn’t score again until Sidney Crosby’s empty-net goal in the game’s final seconds. Did Canada start preserving its lead too soon when they should have kept pressing for more? It’s possible. And that’s not the way to beat Team USA.
Hellebuyck looked strong as ever in the first meeting between these teams, and after McDavid registered the game’s first goal Saturday night, there was nothing getting past the USA’s netminder.
It’s imperative that Canada’s big boys make Hellebuyck uncomfortable from the start and capitalize on their opportunities; there don’t project to be many.
Plus, Canada’s role players need to step up like the U.S.’s Dylan Larkin did on Saturday. It’s a whole team effort up front that will put Canada over the top. Can they provide it and take some pressure off Binnington?
What difference will a healthy defense make for Finland at the Olympics?
The Finns’ blue line took several hits as Miro Heiskanen, Rasmus Ristolainen and Jani Hakanpaa were ruled out prior to the tournament with injuries. Heiskanen was an especially tough loss for Finland, but if he’s available for 2026 international play, that’s a massive advantage (in the same way Canada having Makar back on Monday was for them).
Because it’s that side of the puck where Finland shines brightest — they can put on defensive clinics that stifle some of the world’s best skaters (we saw that in full force in their first period against the U.S. last week).
Finland can only wonder “what if” now about their showing at 4 Nations. The results could be quite different for them in a year’s time with better luck on the injury front.