Few of the lines meshed. They lost a key d-man to injury early on. Their goalie was at turns brilliant, then weak. But Sidney Crosby picked up Team Canada on a back as wide as country and led his squad to a 4-3 OT win over Team Sweden in the first game of the Four Nations tournaments.
In total the Grade A shots were 17 for Canada, nine for Sweden, with the subset of more dangerous 5-alarm shots four for each team.
Sidney Crosby 8. Oh Captain, our Captain! Three assists, great game. Excellent spinning behind-the-back pass on the Team Canada’s first goal. He charged in to win a puck early in the second and help create a Stone Grade A shot. Almost jammed in an outside shot from Stone a few shifts later. Huge play on the third goal, rushing up ice, fending off a check and setting up Stone’s slot harpoon. He made a smart drop pass to set up Canada’s fourth goal, the OT winner. Contributions/mistakes on Grade A shots (GAS): Even Strength +3/-0; Special Teams 1/0
Nathan MacKinnon, 7. Led the team with major contributions to seven Grade A shots. His relentless hustle led to an early penalty, then he harpooned in Crosby’s pass for Canada’s first goal. Dagger of a pass to set up Stone in the second. Turned over the puck then allowed Rakell’s dangerous tip. Ripped four hard Grade A shots in OT. GAS: ES +6/-1; ST 1/0
Mark Stone, 7. His usual strong game of skill and moxie. He got off a hard shot in the second off strong work from his linemates. Drove home Crosby’s pass for Canada’s third goal. Lost a key battle in OT leading up to Zibanejad’s ripper. GAS: ES +3/-2; ST 0/0
Connor McDavid, 7. Came out in cheat mode. Set the arena on fire with his passing, deking and skating. Helped set up Canada’s first goal, the Superstar Special, McDavid to Crosby to MacKinnon. How long have we been waiting for that goal? Set up Makar for a hard shot later in period. Quiet in the second but set up Toew’s for a wide open net shot in the third, but no goal. GAS: ES +4/-0; ST 1/0
Paul Reinhart, 7. Solid two-way play, worked with McDavid well. He came back hard on the backcheck to break up a 2-on-1, covering for two d-men, Exhibit A in the great defensive work by Team Canada forwards early in the game. He allowed the outside shot on Brodin’s goal. Good shot block in the third. Fired a Grade A on net late in the game. GAS: ES +2/-0; ST 0/0
Mitch Marner, 7. The OT hero. Some nifty passes early on. He was part of the Sequence of Pain on Brodin’s goal, failing to cut out a pass. Disappeared in the middle of the game. Failed to mesh with McDavid, not going hard to the net on one third period rush. But made a great pass to McD on Toew’s 5-alarmer late in the third. And he was the OT hero, charging in and whipping a high slot shot in for the win, for a bonus bump of two Grade points. GAS: ES +4/-0; ST 0/0
Brayden Point, 7, Charged back hard in the first period on the backcheck to break up a dangerous Swedish rush. Beauty pass on Marchand’s goal. GAS: ES +2/-2; ST 0/0
Seth Jarvis, 6. A surprise selection to the team, but he played well. Hey, I wanted Hyman on the team, but that was a helluva pass on Marchand’s first period goal rush. He blocked a wicked Victor Hedman pass in the first. Some good PK work in the third. GAS: ES +1/-1; ST 0/0
Brad Marchand, 6. His n-zone slashing stick check started off the play and no mistake on the finish on his first period goal.But a quiet game otherwise. GAS: ES +1/-1; ST 0/0
Brandon Hagel, 6. Good hustle to win the puck and get an outside shot for a dangerous Cirelli tip in the first. Huge play in OT to prevent a Swedish breakaway, then ripped a Grade A on net. He and Cirelli failed to contain Kempe on his OT 5-alarmer after Makar’s stick broke. GAS: ES +3/-1; ST 0/0
Antony Cirelli, 5. High event, some good, some bad. Solid tip shot in the first. He lost a couple of battles on the goal rush leading to Sweden’s second goal. He kicked off the Sequence of Pain on the third Swedish goal by losing a d-zone face-off, then failed to cut out a pass to Jasper Bratt. Great block off a Hedman bomb on Sweden’s third period power play. GAS: ES +2/-3; ST 0/0
Travis Konecny, 5. Hammered Mattias Ekholm with a wicked hit in the second, so -1 grade for that (Edmonton Oilers fan joke there). Quiet otherwise. GAS: ES +0/-0; ST 0/0
Cale Makar, 6 High event in a team-high 28:06 of icetime. He got a hard shot on net in the first off a McD feed. Great stretch pass to McD for a high slotter early in the second. His turnover led to Lucas Raymond’s second-period break-in. Beat for a Grade A shot in the third. Some good moments in OT. GAS: ES +3-3; ST 0/0
Devon Toews, 7. Best Team Canada d-man tonight. Solid puck movement. He took a slot pass off good work by Cirelli and Hagel but failed to scored, then drove a slot shot at an open net in the third with Gustaffson getting his blocker on it. GAS: ES +0/-0; ST 0/0
Josh Morrissey, 4. Iffy in this one.Early own zone turnover but no damage, then blasted Eriksson Ek with a hit. A few defensive glitches as Sweden came on in the second. He lost a battle on the third Swedish goal. GAS: ES +2/-4; ST 0/0
Colton Parayko, 5. He kicked off the Virtuous Cycle with a defensive stop and stretch pass on Marchand’s first period goal. Allowed Kempe’s tip early in second. He iced the puck, then failed to cut out the slot pass on Sweden’s third goal. GAS: ES +1/-3; ST 0/0
Shea Theadore. Incomplete. He took a hard hit and went off hurt in the second, not to return. Huge loss for Canada in the game, as defence was discombobulated. GAS: ES +0/-0; ST 0/0
Drew Doughty, 3. Not ready for prime time yet, a number of crucial mistakes.He lost a battle and got caught out on a 2-in-1 the first. Snapped a slot harpoon on net in the second but Hedman blocked it. He was lost some battles and found himself in the Red Light Zone on Brodin’s goal, not covering anyone and not blocking a shooting or passing lane. On Sweden’s second goal, he backed in, giving up a high slot shot to Adrian Kempe. GAS: ES +2/-1; ST 0/0
Jordan Binnington, 4. If the team was on a rollercoaster, he was in the lead car. Up and down.Some huge saves but some bad goals against.Faced his first Grade A early in the second, a tip off Kempe’s skate, then thwarted Nylander on a second slot tip a few shifts later, and Raymond on a 5-alarmer break-in a moment later. But got beat on an outside shot by Brodin for Sweden’s first goal. “Everyone recognizes he should make that save,” said commentator Kelly Hrudey. Yup. Rebounded by stuffing Rakell’s wicked tip, then thwarted a Forsberg’s tip shot. Gave up a high slot shot to Kempe, two goals on 12 shots at that point. “That’s one for Jordan Binnington,” said commentator Craig Simpson. “That’s a goal he’d like to have back.” No chance on the third goal. Huge stop on a 5-alarm from Zibanejad in OT, then on an even more dangerous slot tip from powerful Kempe.
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