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4 Nations: Sidney Crosby dominates in a victory for Canada
Félix Forget
4 Nations: Sidney Crosby dominates in a victory for Canada
Credit: Finally! It is tonight that the Four Nations Face-Off in the world of hockey is kicking off, as the Canadian team and the Swedish team are clashing at the Bell Centre. While Jordan Binnington was the goaltender for Canada, Filip Gustavsson was the one for Sweden in this first match. Here are the complete lineups: […]
Finally! It is tonight that the Four Nations Face-Off in the world of hockey is kicking off, as the Canadian team and the Swedish team are clashing at the Bell Centre.

While Jordan Binnington was the goaltender for Canada, Filip Gustavsson was the one for Sweden in this first match.

Here are the complete lineups:

Before the match, a ceremony honoring the four countries participating in the competition was held on the ice.

The highlight of it? Auston Matthews getting booed loudly, but also Mario Lemieux receiving a massive standing ovation from the fans present at the Bell Centre.

We then got to enjoy the beginning of the game… and the Canadian team did not wait long before raising the crowd.

When Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, and Nathan MacKinnon combine their efforts on a power play, it creates… a magical sequence:

Then, a few minutes later, while Sweden still had not registered a shot, Brad Marchand doubled the lead for his team.

For the first time in his life, Marchand received some love at the Bell Centre.

After 20 minutes, the score was 2-0 for Canada. Sweden had hardly any shots on net after 20 minutes.

That said, in the second period, Sweden found some rhythm… and they finally tested Jordan Binnington.

And it paid off: Jonas Brodin scored the first goal for his team.

Nonetheless, Canada regained a two-goal lead before the end of the period, courtesy of Mark Stone.

Sidney Crosby made a brilliant play on the sequence.

After 40 minutes, the score was 3-1 in favor of Canada.

In the third, however, Sweden made a push. Adrian Kempe brought both teams to within one goal at the beginning of the period.

Binnington did not look particularly solid on that sequence…

Then, a few minutes later, it was Joel Eriksson Ek who found the back of the net.

All of a sudden, the score was tied.

Canada then attempted to regain the lead, and they had a magnificent play…

But Filip Gustavsson completely robbed Devon Toews of a goal. What a stop by the Swedish goaltender.

We eventually needed overtime to separate the two teams. Reminder: for this preliminary round, overtime is a 3-on-3 session for 10 minutes followed by a shootout.

Nathan MacKinnon was dominant during this 3-on-3 session, but in the end, it was Mitch Marner who secured the victory for Canada.

Sidney Crosby recorded a third assist in the match on this winning goal… and he received a lot of love from the fans on site.

Final score: 4-3 Canada (OT)

The action will resume tomorrow, as the United States and Finland will make their entrance, also at the Bell Centre. The game will once again be at 8 PM.


Overtime

– It was nice to see the best players in the world defending the colors of their country. Just seeing Crosby, McDavid, and MacKinnon together on a power play was a joy to watch.

– Shea Theodore left the game in the second period due to an arm/wrist injury. He underwent X-rays and did not return to the match. His health status will need to be monitored, and if he cannot play in the next match, Travis Sanheim will take his place. Let’s remember that a team cannot call for backup unless they have fewer than 18 healthy skaters.

– Jordan Binnington was not particularly good in this match. I wonder if Jon Cooper will trust him again for the next game (Saturday, against the United States) or if he will look to Adin Hill or Samuel Montembeault.

– Sidney Crosby does not really look like a 37-year-old player carrying an injury. He was incredible tonight.

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