A massive triumph for Team USA, at the expense of their northern neighbors! Thanks to Jake Guentzel‘s brace, the Americans secured their spot in the 4 Nations Face-Off final by defeating Canada (3-1) tonight at the latter’s home turf inside the Bell Centre, Montreal. The Oilers captain Connor McDavid‘s lone goal for the national team went in vain. However, as disappointed as the 28-year-old center is, he has now turned his attention to the next match-up on Monday.

Canada and Finland will lock horns at the TD Garden on February 17 to determine who will face the US in the finals next Thursday. While the Canadians have one of the beefiest rosters in the 4 Nations tournament, the latest blow to its guts has raised questions about the team’s possibilities of going all the way. But for McDavid, there’s still a glimmer of hope.

A post by the official Edmonton Oilers X account shared how Connor McDavid is looking at Canada’s upcoming match, especially after tonight’s unprecedented loss to the USA. Admitting that the defeat isn’t an easy pill to swallow, the NHL star still sounded optimistic about the future of the tournament. “…it sucks it didn’t go our way, but it seems far from over,” McDavid said.

Connor and the team will now have to cross the border to play the remainder of their 4 Nations matches at the home of the Boston Bruins. When asked if that would be a challenging environment to clash against the Finns for Monday’s match, the hockey center responded, “Just excited, excited. Another opportunity for us to go get a big win.”

On Saturday, Finland made amends for its loss at the hands of Team USA in their tournament opener by defeating Sweden 4-3 in overtime. They too, would love to take a crack at pushing forward and booking their berth to the finals, unless Connor McDavid’s Canada can come up with something to spoil Finland’s plans. However, tonight’s rumble on the ice would make McDavid & Co. itch to calm their nerves, and the Europeans should brace themselves.

Connor McDavid left it all on the ice, but the team couldn’t reap its benefits

Saturday’s match was something that will easily go down in the NHL’s history books. Within seconds of the opening face-off, Matthew and Brady Tkachuk and J.T. Miller showed they meant business. The three Americans’ fistfight against Canada’s Brandon Hagel, Sam Bennett, and Colton Parayko could have been a reaction to how the Bell Centre booed during the USA’s national anthem, but it paused the game for a considerable period of time, and ultimately resulted in the Tkachuk brothers being sent off the ice.

Connor McDavid’s goal in the first period gave the country hope and it looked like Team Canada’s early lead would carry them till the end of the game. But the visitors had other plans. The Tampa Bay Lightning’s Guentzel soon tied the game after scoring from a sharp angle, while Detroit’s Dylan Larkin gave the USA the lead after scoring with a perfect wrist shot in the second period.

Guentzel got his name on the scoreboard again in the third period to ensure the team pulled away and secured its spot in the 4 Nations finales next Thursday. With that, the Americans also proved that Brad Marchand‘s claims about Canada being the team to beat at the international tournament didn’t have much merit. But will Team Canada be able to show its worth come Monday against the Finns? What are your predictions for the match? Tell us!