The 4 Nations Final went the way of Team Canada on Thursday night. Connor McDavid scored the overtime-winning goal to bring Canada its first major tournament win since 2014. It’s a brutal loss for Team USA, especially on home soil. Even more so when American captain Auston Matthews made an impact in this game.
Matthews had been quit throughout the 4 Nations tournament. However, he had his best game offensively on Thursday night. The Toronto Maple Leafs captain provided an assist on both Team USA goals in the 3-2 loss. And he made a bit of history in the process.
Matthews is the second player in American hockey history to record two or more assists in a winner-take-all NHL international tournament, according to NHL Public Relations. The first player was Hall of Fame defenseman Brian Leetch. He provided two assists for Team USA in Game 3 of the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.
Team USA, Auston Matthews fall short in 4 Nations Final
Team USA defeated Team Canada in the first 4 Nations meeting between the two nations. Matthews did not score in that contest. However, Dylan Larkin and Jake Guentzel each had two points in the victory.
The Americans seemed like the favorites heading into Thursday night’s contest. They dominated Team Finland in the opening game of the tournament. They did lose to Team Sweden on Monday, but they dealt with a slew of injuries in that game. Despite these injuries, they held the Swedes to just two goals.
The Canadians, meanwhile, earned an overtime win over Sweden to begin the 4 Nations. Following that, they dominated Team Finland on Monday. However, they let the Finns make the game closer than it needed to be. Moreover, goalie Jordan Binnington allowed eight goals in the three games before this Final.
In the end, Team Canada prevailed. Binnington turned in a fantastic performance, making some unbelievable saves in overtime. Matthews and Team USA now have to wait until 2026 to get revenge in the Milan Olympics.
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