We’re in for an instant classic if Saturday’s game between Team Canada and Team USA was predictive of Thursday’s final at the 4 Nations Face-OFF. USA emerged with a 3-1 victory over Canada, where superior goaltending and defensive excellence sealed the win.

It’s been a chaotic week since the last contest, which started off with three fights. Auston Matthews is back in the lineup after missing Monday’s contest against Sweden with an upper-body injury, while Tage Thompson and Brett Pesce are reportedly on standby, if there are any last-minute ailments.

Mitch Marner will likely be deployed in a third line, shutdown role alongside Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli. It’s possible that Marner’s line will get the majority share against Matthews, Jake Guentzel and Jack Hughes, where Marner could be asked to man-mark Hughes throughout the contest.

Let’s get into it!

Connor McDavid opened the scoring against the USA, blazing past Charlie McAvoy off a tremendous rush, but it was all the meaningful offence Canada could muster. McDavid was in excellent form against Finland, he was Canada’s best player, although the first star honour went to Nathan MacKinnon, who is also using his all-world speed to put pressure on opponents throughout the tournament. McDavid and MacKinnon are the two fastest skaters alive, and their dynamic ability off the rush could be the counterpunch against USA’s sound defensive structure, where Jaccob Slavin and Brock Faber have been erasing chances throughout the event.

McDavid was paired with Brayden Point and Mark Stone against Finland, and it worked wonders, as McDavid and Point’s elite speed and playmaking, combined with Stone’s defensive responsibility was an excellent match. It will be compelling to see if Mike Sullivan throws out the Tkachuk brothers and Jack Eichel as a way to counter Canada’s top line, or whether it will deploy the Guentzel-Matthews-Hughes line instead.

USA’s speed also has to be accounted for, as Guentzel and Dylan Larkin have arguably been its most dynamic forwards and have been punishing teams off the rush. Larkin beat Jordan Binnington easily, on a goal that the Canadian goaltender should’ve stopped, but if Thursday turns into a track meet, it ought to benefit the Canadian team, that has proven to be at its best off the counterattack.

McDavid can create havoc in all scenarios, but getting him and MacKinnon out into space is Canada’s best option, in a game where scoring chances may be limited.

Zach Werenski is in outstanding form, he’s been the tournament’s best defenceman (if you want to make an argument for Jaccob Slavin, we won’t argue too strongly) with five assists in three games. Werenski is constantly getting shots to the net, and he’s worked as an excellent playmaker throughout the 4 Nations Face-Off. Charlie McAvoy is out of the tournament, so Werenski is now playing with Jake Sanderson, an outstanding skater who can easily facilitate exits and break up chances with his recovery speed.

Chris Kreider opened the scoring for the USA against Sweden, but this goal is all because of Werenski setting up the play, beating several Sweden skaters to the outside, before getting the puck over to this teammate. Werenski has been excellent in all facets of the game and if USA defeats Canada for the second consecutive time, he could be in line for tournament MVP.

It’s not been a stretch to suggest that Crosby has been Canada’s best player overall in this tournament. He was Canada’s best forward against Sweden, he staved off a valiant Finland comeback attempt with an empty-net goal, and he looks like he’s 27, not 37, when paired with MacKinnon and Sam Reinhart. MacKinnon’s elite speed and processing open up the totality of Crosby’s game, while Reinhart is the Selke favourite at the moment, and his two-way excellence has allowed this line to click throughout the event.

Crosby is outstanding at winning puck battles, and he’s navigating space extremely well, when MacKinnon commands the defence’s attention. He’s making clever reads throughout the game, he’s playing with physicality and he’s arguably the most clutch men’s player in Canadian hockey history. We don’t need further preamble, he’s Sidney Crosby after all, and it will be interesting to see how USA line matches against a line that could win it all for Canada.

Auston Matthews wouldn’t miss the 4 Nations Face-Off final for the world and Team USA’s captain could be in line for the offensive surge everyone has been expecting. Matthews’ defensive value has been understated throughout the tournament, with USA boasting a plus-seven shot differential at 5-on-5 when he’s on the ice, and he’s getting great results for Jake Guentzel throughout, while Jack Hughes will be counted upon to make some more plays, as well.

Matthews’ gravity effect is working, and Guentzel has done well to use the space created by the threat of his captain’s shot. Guentzel scored twice against Canada and was opportunistic throughout the contest. Matthews is intrinsically motivated and doesn’t need the outside noise, a lot of which has been outright nonsense, to provide extra fuel. This is the opportunity he’s been waiting the past nine years for, and he can silence his critics with an excellent offensive game. If not, a regular Matthews performance includes strong attention to defensive detail, and it’ll be a great test against either McDavid or Crosby — or the Cirelli-Marner line may get the assignment after all, with the task of keeping Matthews out of high-danger areas. No pressure or anything!