Dylan Larkin scored the go-ahead goal in the second period and the United States beat Canada 3-1 in the 4 Nations Face-Off on Saturday night, wrapping up a spot in the championship game by winning a game that started with three fights in nine seconds and was played at a blistering pace with physicality throughout.
Binnington around that play made some timely stops, and Canada – without top defenseman Cale Makar because of illness – had plenty of chances to tie it but could not get the puck past Hellebuyck again.
That spilled onto the ice as soon as the puck was dropped, with American power forward Matthew Tkachuk asking Brandon Hagel to drop the gloves and the fourth-line Canada winger engaging in the fight two seconds in.
The most anticipated game of round-robin play did not disappoint, from the fisticuffs off the opening faceoff to big hits from Charlie McAvoy on Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid and more than a few vital saves by Connor Hellebuyck among his 24.
And the perpetually reliable captain Canada, Crosby, made a rare mistake with a turnover that, combined with a bad line change, paved the way for Larkin to score on a 2-on-1 past the midway mark of regulation.
