Canada defeated the United States, 3-2, in overtime Thursday night in the 4 Nations Face-Off, capping off an incredible tournament that featured best-on-best NHLers for the first time since 2016.
Connor McDavid scored the overtime winner 8:18 into overtime off a faceoff. The game went to extra time following a 2-2 tie, with goals from Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson on the American side and Nathan MacKinnon and Sam Bennett on the Canadian side.
Let’s take a look at five takeaways from the final:
Connor McDavid can show up in big moments
Prior to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, Connor McDavid’s ability to show up in big moments was questioned by many fans despite his reputation. Even with a 2024 Conn Smythe Trophy (in a losing effort), some wondered if McDavid could lead Canada to the ultimate trophy.
While the 2026 Olympics are still up in the air, McDavid showed that he can come up big in international games; his five points were second most in the tournament and his game-winning overtime goal secured Canada the title.
Connor Hellebuyck is still the best goalie in the NHL
Despite the loss, Connor Hellebuyck showed in this tournament why he is still the best goaltender in the NHL. His .932 save percentage was one of the best, and he helped back-stop the U.S. to a second-place finish.
Against Canada, he stopped 25 out of 26 shots in the round-robin tournament and 24 out of 27 shots in the final. He finished with a .932 save percentage in the tournament, the second highest overall and highest among goalies who played two or more games. Hellebuyck showed during this tournament why he’s the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy as best goalie in the NHL.
Nathan MacKinnon is still the front-runner for the Hart Trophy
Nathan MacKinnon opened the scoring in the U.S.-Canada game, potting the first goal just under five minutes into the first period.
With that goal, MacKinnon secured the most goals in the 4 Nations tournament and was awarded MVP. Going into the break, MacKinnon also led the NHL in points with 87 in 57 games; he showed that not only has he been the best player in the NHL, but the best player among international superstars.
Canada still tops the United States in hockey, for now
With a politically charged environment, the Canada-United States 4 Nations final was highly anticipated. Not only that, but as the U.S. is catching up to Canada in terms of NHLers (41% to 29%), many in the United States were excited about arguably the best American team ever.
What came about was one of the best international hockey games in recent memory. The teams were evenly matched — Canada had 27 shots, 25 hits and won 32 faceoffs, while the U.S. had 33 shots, 28 hits and also won 32 faceoffs.
In such a tight match, the Americans showed that they can hang with the Canadians, and the Canadians showed that despite their national pride in hockey, the U.S. may be closer in the game than they think.
Olympics will be the best international tournament yet
With such a great tournament featuring four elite hockey countries, the 2026 Olympics, the first to feature NHL talent since 2014, will be as anticipated as ever.
As NHL players got excited for what was, essentially, an exhibition tournament, they’re certain to play hard for Olympic gold. With stars such as Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Victor Hedman, Aleksander Barkov and Juuse Saros in the 4 Nations Face-Off, and other countries’ stars like Leon Draisaitl (Germany), David Pastrnak (Czechia) and Nikita Kucherov (Russia) joining them in 2026, it’s sure to be the best ever international tournament produced.
