McDavid, Canada defeat U.S. in OT to win 4 Nations Face-Off

BOSTON -- The maple leaf is still waving proudly on top of the hockey world.

Connor McDavid scored 8:18 into overtime, and Canada won its fourth consecutive best-on-best international tournament, defeating the United States 3-2 in the championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off at TD Garden on Thursday.

"That finish was so special for us, for the country, for our families," Canada goalie Jordan Binnington said. "It's pretty surreal."

Nathan MacKinnon and Sam Bennett also scored, Mitch Marner had two assists, and Binnington made 31 saves for Canada, including six in overtime.

Canada lost 3-1 to the U.S. in the round-robin portion of the tournament at Bell Centre in Montreal on Saturday.

"We lost that game and just to be able to earn this rematch and win in overtime, you can't write it better," Binnington said.

Canada won the gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the 2014 Sochi Olympics and the World Cup of Hockey 2016. It also did so at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, giving it gold in six of the past seven best-on-best international tournaments.

The next best-on-best tournament will be in one year at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.

"For another year at least we have some bragging rights," MacKinnon said. "We've got to go do it again next February."

Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson scored, Auston Matthews had two assists, and Connor Hellebuyck made 24 saves for the United States.

The U.S. still has not won a best-on-best international tournament since the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. That remains its only best-on-best tournament win.

"It just makes us hungrier," U.S. defenseman Zach Werenski said. "We know now that we're neck and neck with Canada. We expect to be in those games with them and expect to win. I think that's exciting for this group. It gives us a lot of confidence that our time is coming, our time is now. It's exciting."

McDavid delivered in overtime from the left hash marks. He got the puck from Marner with no one around him and roofed a shot into the far corner.

He was named the player of the game.

"We just needed one look and Connor was very open, so that was nice," MacKinnon said. "Usually when he's that open it's in the net. We're neck and neck, USA and Canada, but it feels good to be on top this time."

MacKinnon was named the tournament's most valuable player after leading all players with four goals, including the one that gave Canada a 1-0 lead 4:48 into the first period. He scored from the point with a wrist shot through traffic.

The U.S. tied it 1-1 on Tkachuk's goal at 16:52. It was the second shift for Tkachuk, Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk, a line change that Sullivan first went to about three minutes before the goal.

Jack Eichel started the game as the center between the Tkachuk brothers, but Sullivan switched Matthews there, and it worked.

A simple rim around the boards by U.S. defenseman Noah Hanifin led to a turnover by Canada defenseman Devon Toews behind the goal line. Matthews got the puck with space behind the net and wrapped it around the right post into the low slot to Brady Tkachuk, who got enough on his shot to get the puck past Binnington.

"I think we left absolutely everything out there," Brady Tkachuk said.

That line struck again on Sanderson's goal at 7:32 of the second period that put the U.S. up 2-1.

Brady Tkachuk's forecheck allowed the U.S. to get the puck up the wall to Werenski at the point. The rebound of his shot came to Matthews on the right side, and Matthews’ attempt went off the stick of Canada’s Colton Parayko in the slot to Sanderson at the left hash marks, where the defenseman put the puck in.

But Canada got even 2-2 on Bennett's goal at 14:00.

Canada gained possession along the wall between the benches thanks to Adam Fox's errant pass out of the defensive zone. Marner carried the puck in and slipped a pass to his left between Fox and Brock Nelson before Bennett scored from below the left face-off circle, putting a shot over Hellebuyck's shoulder into the top left corner.

There were a combined 12 shots in the third period; eight for the U.S. and four for Canada.

"There are just so many good players on each side [so] for anyone to pull away would be unexpected," MacKinnon said. "Tight game as we thought. We definitely got bailed out a little by 'Binner' in the overtime and took advantage of it."

Binnington's best save in overtime came against Matthews at 2:51, when he came across the crease and stopped the U.S. forward from scoring from the slot with his blocker.

"I was just battling, trying to do my job," Binnington said. "We found a way to get the job done and obviously there are little moments like that that are more special when you win."

The U.S. iced the puck at 8:10. McDavid won the ensuing offensive-zone face-off against Matthews and found himself open. Marner got the puck to him, and McDavid did the rest to keep Canada on top of the hockey world.

"I just hope Canada is proud, because every player in that room is proud to be a Canadian," Canada coach Jon Cooper said. "Did we need a win? Not only our team, but Canada needed a win. The players bared that on their shoulders and they took it seriously. This one was different. This wasn't a win for themselves. This was a win for 40-plus million people, and the guys knew it, and they delivered."

NOTES: Matthew Tkachuk took his last shift of the game with 3:22 remaining in the second period. He stayed on the bench for the rest of the game but did not play. There was no update. He has been dealing with a lower-body injury that prevented him from playing against Sweden on Monday. … Canada defenseman Josh Morrissey didn't play because of an illness. Defenseman Thomas Harley played instead and had an assist in 21:56 of ice time.