Connor McDavid Sinks USA With Epic OT Winner in 4 Nations Final
(Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Team Canada beat Team USA in the 4 Nations final on Thursday night
  • It was Connor McDavid who played hero, scoring the OT winner
  • Read below for full story

None other than the best player in the world was the hero for Team Canada as they beat Team USA in the 4 Nations championship game on Thursday evening at the TD Garden in Boston.

Despite not having his best outing of the tournament, Connor McDavid came up big in overtime, beating Connor Hellebuyck top shelf to help the Canadians get revenge on their rivals, winning 3-2 in a highly entertaining matchup.

After a stellar round-robin game last weekend, every hockey fan — and sports fan for that matter — was excited for the final between two teams who have no love for each other and it didn’t disappoint. Nathan MacKinnon opened the scoring in the first period with his fourth goal of the event, but the States responded with two unanswered from Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson.

However, Florida Panthers star Sam Bennett came to the rescue late in the third period, equalizing to force an extra 20 minutes. Just under halfway through overtime, McDavid came up clutch:

Connor McDavid spoke after the emotional victory and made it clear why this tournament meant so much to Team Canada and even said himself that it wasn’t a banner night personally, but the game-winner certainly makes up for it. MacKinnon was also named the 4 Nations MVP.

The US dominated the overtime period but netminder Jordan Binnington was absolutely stellar, making several critical saves, even robbing Auston Matthews point-blank with a ridiculous glove save.

The first-ever 4 Nations was a massive hit and has even brought more eyes to the sport. Many fans have called for other leagues to adopt a similar format because it was truly that electric.

Team Canada will head back to their respective NHL teams as champions, and it should come as no surprise that McDavid was the difference-maker in the end.

It’s only fitting.