The first time Team USA and Canada squared off at the 4 Nations Face-Off, chaos was off the charts with a trio of fights in the first nine seconds.
What will these clubs do for an encore in the championship final in Boston on Thursday?
Anybody tuning in expecting players to drop the mitts the first two times the puck is dropped and on a third occasion in the aftermath may be disappointed.
Even so, expect some bad blood.
While the trio of American combatants in those fights, Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk and J.T. Miller, admitted their goal was to send a message, Brandon Hagel, the Canadian who scrapped with Matthew Tkachuk, added fuel by stating he and his teammates are “out there playing for the flag, not the cameras.”
Even if that homage to the Slap Shot era worked for the Americans en route to their 3-1 victory over Canada in the round-robin portion of the tournament, it is hard to imagine the script will be the same.
That said, the passion and intensity will be even higher with so much at stake. When meeting each other in best-on-best tournaments for the title, Canada swept the best-of-three 1991 Canada Cup final, as well as Olympic gold medal finals in 2002 and 2010. The lone victory for the U.S. came at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey in a best-of-three series that went the distance.
So, be in your seat when the game begins, just in case.
There are a few other essentials to cover.
What does the injury bug say?
Speaking of the mayhem tandem of Tkuchuks, Matthew did not play the final round-robin clash after sitting out the final 12-plus minutes against Canada. Meanwhile, Brady was hurt in the first period of the game against Sweden and eventually left the clash.
Everyone is saying they will play, which would surprise nobody, but how effective they will be at less-than-100 percent will be worth watching.
The U.S. will be without defenseman Charlie McAvoy, with Jake Sanderson slated to suit up in his spot, while Auston Matthews also missed the Sweden game, and Vincent Trocheck appeared to suffer a wrist injury.
Binnington’s shot at redemption
Canada’s biggest question mark going into the tournament was goaltending and Jordan Binnington has done little to dispel that belief, even while winning two of three games.
In both those victories, Binnington surrendered a couple of dubious goals against. He also was admittedly disappointed with the two goals he surrendered to the U.S.
The decision to play only Binnington in the tournament is Monday morning quarterback fodder, but that is the route chosen, and the time is at hand for him to reward that belief.
The U.S. has a decided advantage with the game’s best goalie right now, Connor Hellebuyck, who will play in the biggest game of his career.
In a one-game showdown, Binnington—who, unlike his counterpart, has won a Stanley Cup—is staring at a golden chance to be a difference maker.
Which team controls the tempo?
The U.S. beat Canada in the round-robin match with an old-school, beat-them-in-the-alley mindset. And we are not just talking about the fights.
The way the Americans forechecked eventually wore down Canada’s squad, creating turnovers and plenty of bruises. Not that we expect to see an all-out track meet and an endless stream of scoring chances Thursday, but this is the key: Will Canada adapt and mitigate the U.S. attack with speed and skill? If not, the U.S. can impose its will.
