Saturday features two games of historic rivals.
Outside of Thursday’s championship final (where they’ll be given a medal or lift a trophy or something?), Saturday’s doubleheader of traditional rivalry games is the moment the 4 Nations organizers and their “broadcast partners” have really been building toward:
Sweden vs. Finland (1 p.m. EST), and USA vs. Canada (8 p.m. EST), both in Montreal before they switch to Boston for the rest.
The four teams helpfully each had a different result in their openers, yielding a current standings of 3-2-1-0 from 1st-place USA to 4th-place Finland. All of that can change today, which would set up the final round of games on Monday to determine who goes to the final.
- Let us hyperbole: US-Canada could be “the best hockey ever seen.” Okay. [Sportsnet]
- Three storylines for US-Canada. [Sportsnet] Or Son of Bourne’s take. [Sportsnet]
- Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett will put their mutual dickery aside, er rather combine their dickery forces to target the Americans rather than each other. [NHL]
- Goalie change: Finland will start A Finn Named Kevin in goal after Jussi Saros gave up six against the ‘Muricans. [NHL]
- Already having lost Shea Theodore, Canada’s blueline was missing Cale Makar at practice due to illness. [NHL] They were allowed to call up Thomas Harley just in case.
- Jon Cooper once gave his mom a “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” button. [NHL]