It’s shaping up to be a night to remember for hockey fans on both sides of the USA-Canada border. On Thursday, the two NHL heavyweights will face each other for the 4 Nations Face-Off championship. With many American families having their relatives living in Canada, and vice versa, one would be hard-pressed to think the squads will also have their fanbases divided. But not Dylan Larkin.

The Red Wings star has been a major factor contributing to Team USA’s success at the tournament. Larkin and the boys will be taking on the Canadians for the second time at the 4 Nations in the final match, and the 28-year-old thinks there isn’t any debate about who from his family would be supporting despite some of them living across the border.

During a recent interview with NHL on TNT, Dylan was asked if his house would be “split” on Thursday night when Canada and the US set their sticks over the puck for the ultimate 4 Nations action. However, in the social media post from February 17, the hockey star nullified the speculations. “I think everyone’s bought in… you know, I played for USA Hockey many times and they’re bought in for the U.S.. So it’s, you know, no split house,” he said rather flatly.

For a moment though, you’d get confused as to who was talking: Dylan Larkin or Vin Diesel from The Fast and The Furious. The Red Wings star admitted that his experience at the 4 Nations Face-Off has only been elevated by being able to share it with his family, who were all there to see him give Team USA the lead against Canada last Saturday.

“That game in Montreal on Saturday night was something special. And it’s scoring that goal and being able to see my family right there. It was it was just, you know, something I’m very proud of,” Larkin said with a beaming smile, while also mentioning how the entire Team USA staff also did their best to make everything perfect for the players. However, none of that is likely to matter when the USA vs Canada rematch kicks off at TD Garden on Thursday night. Instead, it’ll be payback possibilities that will be the motivating factor to win the first-ever 4 Nations Cup.

One final brawl at the 4 Nations Face-Off to even the scores

The scene of the Bell Centre booing the USA stars and the national anthem will most probably be etched into the minds of American fans for a long time to come. And not once, but twice! Two nights in a row, Larkin and his teammates had to take on not just opponents on the ice, but a hostile crowd in the stands doing its best to derail their 4 Nations campaign. However, it was the second night that saw hostility at its peak with Team USA dropping gloves.

The Tkachuk brothers had had enough of the disrespect. Pre-planning with J.T. Miller, Matthew, and Brady engaged in three separate fights nine seconds into their 4 Nations game against Canada. While things simmered down soon enough, it seemed like the US wasn’t going to cede an inch of the ground without a fight. The team’s resolute determination to win owed significantly to goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who didn’t seem to let the booing get to him.

Thanks to his incredible netminding, the USA conceded only one goal while netting 3 themselves to win the match. But when the teams lock horns for the second time at the 4 Nations final match, the momentum will be in the host’s favor this time. During Team Canada’s match against Finland on Sunday, the crowd already gave the former a taste of what’s waiting for them at the championship game. But will Dylan Larkin take the advantage and bring the trophy home? What are your predictions for the USA’s next and final match? Share your thoughts in a comment.