The 4 Nations Face-Off continued on Thursday evening as the United States romped over Finland in their first game of the round-robin tournament. Following a slow start, the Americans exploded with a four-goal third period en route to a dominant 6-1 win.
The Americans actually fell behind in the opening period after Buffalo Sabres defenseman Henri Jokiharju scored a seeing eye shot that got past goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
The United States was able to finally get the puck into the back of the net when forward Brady Tkachuk scored just three minutes later. Tkachuk was able to corral the rolling puck enough to sweep it past goaltender Juuse Saros to tie the game.
The United States was then able to score five unanswered goals over the final two periods. Late in the second period, Minnesota Wild forward Matt Boldy scored off of a deflection on a point shot from Wild teammate Brock Faber.
In the third period, Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk netted a pair of goals, while his brother, Brady, tallied his second goal of the night.
The Americans’ offensive attack really exploded over the second half of the game. Let’s take a closer look at all of action from Thursday’s contest with some takeaways.
Tkachuk brothers shine
It was certainly a night to remember for the Tkachuk family. Brady and Matthew Tkachuk became just the second set of brothers to each tally a goal in the same game at an NHL international tournament since Milan and Zbynek Michalek scored goals for the Czech Republic at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. The Tkachuk brothers also became the third set of brothers to tally multiple points in the same game as they joined Aaron and Neal Broten of the United States (1984 Canada Cup round robin) and Marian and Peter Stastny of Czechoslovakia (1976 Canada Cup round robin).
In the second period, United States coach Mike Sullivan made a decision to shuffle his lines, and it paid off in a big way. He actually moved Brady and Matthew Tkachuk onto a line with Vegas Golden Knights standout Jack Eichel, and the rest was history.
Entering the third period, the United States was clinging to a 2-1 lead. The Americans certainly didn’t waste any time putting their stamp on the game in the opening minute of the final period.
When the puck is thrown on net, sometimes good things can happen. Just 15 seconds into the final period, Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman slid the puck across to an open Matthew Tkachuk, and Tkachuk quickly sent a turnaround snap shot that got past Saros thanks to being tipped by Finnish defenseman Niko Mikkola.
Just under three minutes later, Brady scored for the second time on the night. Ironically enough, Matthew got the play started in the neutral zone when he was able to dig it free, and get it over to Eichel. Eichel then found a cutting Brady, and he was able to slide a backhander under Saros for the goal.
It was a remarkable performance for the Tkachuk brothers, and tide completely turned when Sullivan placed the two brothers on the same line. After the tremendous success that this line had, it’s hard to imagine that Sullivan wouldn’t keep the trio together when the United States faces off against Canada on Saturday.
Connor Hellebuyck stands tall
Hellebuyck surprisingly allowed the opening goal of the contest early in the first period, but he was sensational after that minor setback. The Winnipeg Jets netminder stopped 20 of the 21 shots he faced in a very impressive performance over the final two-plus periods.
Finland was very aggressive in the first half of the game as they peppered Hellebuyck with shots. Shortly after allowing the game’s first goal, Hellebuyck turned aside Finland on the power-play during a scrum in front of the net.
Perhaps Hellebuyck’s biggest stop came with around eight minutes remaining in the second period when the game was still tied at 1-1. Finland sent a pass ahead that clanged off of the boards and onto the stick of New Jersey Devils forward Erik Haula. In all alone on Hellebuyck, Haula attempted the lift the puck top shelf over Hellebuyck, but the American goalie stopped the puck with his arm before it ricocheted over the glass.
Seeing Hellebuyck thrive on an international stage may not be shocking if you’ve watched the Jets goalie over the past two seasons. After all, Hellebuyck won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goaltender last season, and will likely win the prestigious award yet again this season. Hellebuyck currently leads the league in wins (34), goals-against-average (2.07), and save percentage (.925).
No Quinn Hughes, no problem
It was a devastating blow when it was announced that Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes wouldn’t be playing for the United States in the 4 Nations Face-Off due to an oblique injury. However, despite not having one of the sport’s top defensemen, the United States sure didn’t miss a beat on both ends of the ice against Finland.
One of the biggest reasons for the American was the play of defenseman Zach Werenski. Werenski really did a little bit of everything in the United States victory. On the offensive end of the ice, Werenski tallied a game-high three assists and tied an NHL international tournament record for assists and points by a defenseman. Two of Werenski’s assists were primary assists and came on power-play goals from teammate Matthew Tkachuk.
Werenski’s body of work was truly sensational in Thursday’s game. The Blue Jackets blue-liner led all United States player with 21:45 of ice time, while logging 27 shifts with defensive pairing partner Charlie McAvoy. Werenski also finished the game with a +2 rating, and was one of the top players on the ice quite often.
Despite being such a juggernaut on the back end, Werenski still might be one of the league’s best-kept secrets. He doesn’t get the notoriety that the likes of Cale Makar or Hughes receive, but he’s just as dangerous as a two-way defenseman. Werenski is a contender for the Norris Trophy as the top NHL defenseman this season, and now everyone is beginning to see why on a massive stage.
