BOSTON — With 11:42 left in overtime, Connor McDavid fired a shot from the slot past Connor Hellebuyck, securing a 3-2 victory for Canada over Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game at TD Garden on Thursday.
McDavid received a pass from Mitch Marner in the corner and quickly fired the puck over Hellebuyck’s glove.
Connor’s the best player in our game,” said Nathan MacKinnon, who was named tournament MVP. “For him to score in such an intense atmosphere and a tough environment for Canadians was something special. Hopefully, he can do the same next year in the Olympics.”
McDavid praised Marner for setting up the play from the corner, noting his role was simply to stay open in the middle.
“Your average hockey fan might not realize how impressive it is to calmly pick up the puck off the wall like that and make such a great play,” McDavid said. “He kept his head up, drew two defenders to him, and made the perfect pass. It was a fantastic play, and fans might not fully appreciate how good that was.”
CONNOR MCDAVID! OVERTIME WINNER! 🚨
Binnington Shines as a Hero in Boston Again
While McDavid netted the game-winner, Jordan Binnington emerged as Canada’s overtime hero. The starting goalie made six critical saves in overtime, including two point-blank shots from Auston Matthews. Binnington also made a crucial dive to glove a shot from Brady Tkachuk.
“You’ve got to give all the credit to Binner in overtime,” said Canadian forward Brad Marchand. “He made five or six unbelievable saves that completely turned the game around. Tonight, we won the game of inches. That’s the challenge with these one-off games. Single-elimination is tough, but they’re a great team. We just happened to be a little better tonight.”
Canada’s goaltending had been considered a weak spot compared to the U.S. team, but Binnington, who won a Stanley Cup in Boston with the St. Louis Blues in 2019, rose to the occasion in overtime.
“I haven’t seen it,” Binnington said, referring to his save on Matthews. “It’s funny, I don’t even remember those moments. When you’re in the zone, you’re just battling and doing your job. I found a way to get it done. There are special moments like that when you win. I’ll definitely check it out later.
