Gold medal game
(1) Team Canada vs. (2) Team United States (8:10 a.m. ET; Peacock, NBC, ICI Télé, CBC Gem, CBC, SN [JIP], TSN [JIP], RDS2).
How they got here
Canada (4-1-0-0, first in Group A): Defeated Team Czechia 5-0, defeated Team Switzerland 5-1, defeated Team France 10-2, defeated Team Czechia 4-3 (OT), defeated Team Finland 3-2.
United States (4-1-0-0, first in Group C): Defeated Team Latvia 5-1, defeated Team Denmark 6-3, defeated Team Germany 5-1, defeated Team Sweden 2-1 (OT), defeated Team Slovakia 6-2.
Player to watch
Canada: Connor McDavid broke the record for most points in an Olympic tournament featuring NHL players with two assists in a 3-2 win against Finland in the first semifinal Friday. The Edmonton Oilers forward has 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in five games. He surpassed Finland forwards Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu, who each had 11 points in eight games while winning the silver medal in Torino 2006. McDavid served as Canada captain in the semifinal in the absence of forward Sidney Crosby, who did not play because of a lower-body injury sustained in a 4-3 quarterfinal overtime win against Team Czechia on Wednesday. The Edmonton Oilers captain leads the NHL scoring race with 96 points (34 goals, 62 assists) in 58 games.
United States: Matthew Tkachuk has six assists in five games and is the emotional leader for Team United States, looking to avenge the loss to Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off a year ago. Tkachuk and brother Brady Tkachuk, the captain of the Ottawa Senators, have been in the thick of things physically all tournament and the two are expected to bring that high energy again in the gold medal game. The United States is looking for its first Olympic gold medal since Lake Placid 1980.
Will win if
Canada: McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Macklin Celebrini have another strong game and goalie Jordan Binnington continues to make timely saves. The Canada goalie shut the door after giving up the first two goals against Finland, allowing Canada to come back for the second consecutive game. He did the same in the come-from-behind 4-3 overtime win against Czechia in the quarterfinal. Celebrini, a forward with the San Jose Sharks, had an assist in the win against Finland, along with eight shots on goal and 25:53 of ice time, both game highs. The 19-year-old has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in five games and has been leaned on heavily by coach Jon Cooper among a star-studded roster.
United States: It can contain McDavid, MacKinnon and Celebrini, and continue to get offensive contributions from its deep forward group. The United States also has an extremely mobile and talented defense, led by Quinn Hughes and Zach Werenski, and the best goalie in the NHL in Connor Hellebuyck, who won the Vezina and Hart Trophy last season. Motivation will not be an issue in this rivalry, but it will be important to keep emotions in check and maintain the focus on the little details that make a huge difference in a one-game, winner-take-all.
EDGE Stats to watch
Canada: McDavid leads the NHL in high-danger shots on goal (94), max skating speed (24.61 mph), 22-plus mph speed bursts (106) and 20-plus mph speed bursts (494) this season.
United States: Brady Tkachuk leads the entire NHL in offensive zone time percentage (49.5) this season and ranks among the forward leaders in both high-danger shots on goal (58; 95th percentile) and hardest shot (91.14 mph; 90th percentile).
The skinny
This is the highly anticipated rematch of the 4 Nations Face-Off final won 3-2 in overtime by Canada just over a year ago. The United States has rolled through the tournament, pushed only by Sweden in the quarterfinal, while Canada had to battle from behind against both Czechia in the quarterfinal and Finland in the semifinal. It may be too much to ask Canada to put together a third consecutive comeback, so the first goal of the game will be key. If the United States scores first, it can continue to dictate play like it has all tournament.
