Tampa Bay’s Guentzel leads Way For Team USA

It’s Captain America!

Nope. Just Tampa Bay Lightning’s Jake Guentzel shining the brightest on the biggest stage. Team USA was behind enemy lines on Saturday night when it took on Canada in Montreal, but the 30-year-old forward stepped up with one of the best performances of his career.

This Game Had it All

In what might’ve been the biggest moment in hockey this season, the United States and Canada renewed a rivalry that has stood the test of time. Two gladiators of the sport stepped into the arena to write the next chapter of this historic rivalry. And it certainly did not disappoint.

Pregame

This game had everything you’d want to watch as a hockey fan in 2025. From the pregame light show inside the Bell Centre, and the heavy Canadian crowd booing the Star-Bangled Banner one moment – to singing in unison “Oh Canada” – Team Canada Captain Sidney Crosby was bombarded with chants and wild events following the puck drop.

Boos coming down for the American Anthem during pregame pic.twitter.com/b18MMpkfhN

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 16, 2025

Quite the Start

As soon as the puck hit the ice, the gloves dropped. Lightning forward Brandon Hagel and Matthew Tkachuk got into it. In the following puck drop, Brady Tkachuk and Sam Bennett began to brawl. Finally, the dust of those two fights cleared and the game started. Well, it did for eight seconds, and then Colton Parayko and J.T. Miller began throwing hands.

https://twitter.com/realjgnavarro/status/1891010343914148014

Three fights in eight seconds is something few people have and will ever see. But each fight brought the crowd to their feet even more, highlighting just how big of a game this is. It was clear that this was not just another exhibition game.

Once everyone got themselves situated, the game everyone had been waiting on got started… for real this time. Just about five minutes in, superstar Connor McDavid flew down the ice and delivered a beauty of a backhand shot to get Canada on the board first.

CONNOR MCDAVID TAKES THE ROOF OFF THE BELL CENTRE

1-0 CANADA 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/MKWeQrWRmO

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 16, 2025

But just like in their first game against Finland, the United States would get one back, when none other than Guentzel himself would beat goaltender Jordan Binnington short-side to even the game up at one a piece.

JAKE GUENTZEL GETS THE USA RIGHT BACK IN IT 1-1 🦅 pic.twitter.com/DuSyNQT8bm

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 16, 2025

Canada’s Costly Mistake

For the rest of the first and most of the second period, this wild game quickly became a stalemate. Neither team wanted to make the costly mistake that would put their team in harm’s way. That was until Canada did.

With 6:30 to go in the second period, a combination of a bad Crosby turnover and Canada getting caught in change was all USA’s Dylan Larkin needed. Larkin zoomed past Canadian defenders to bury another one past Binnington to give the United States the lead.

DYLAN LARKIN SNIPE, 2-1 USA 🇺🇸#4Nations pic.twitter.com/q7QUEO3pCx

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) February 16, 2025

Team USA Holds On

For the next 25 minutes, the United States put a stranglehold on Canada to make sure their 2-1 lead was protected. With just under two minutes to go in the game, Canada pulled its goalie to get the extra man out, but ultimately it would not matter. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stood tall and denied all of Team Canada’s final attempts at tying this one up, and to cap things off, Guentzel scored again to make it a 3-1 game.

It was one of the biggest wins in American hockey history. With all the odds stacked against them, Team USA handled its business and shut down one of the most powerful teams in the world for three periods.

The 3-1 win secured the United States a spot in the championship game on Thursday.

What’s Next

As the Four-Nations Face-Off moves to Boston, both teams will play on Monday with a chance that they could meet again in Thursday’s championship game.

Canada will take on Finland at 1 p.m., needing a regulation win to advance to the finals.

The United States will take on Sweden at 8 p.m.