NHL: 4 Nations Face Off-USA vs Canada – Image Source: Imagn
Jaccob Slavin and Team USA earned a massive 3-1 win on Saturday night against Team Canada, clinching its spot in the finals of the 4 Nations.
After the wild first nine seconds that saw three separate fights, the real stuff began. Just over five minutes into the game, Connor McDavid gave Canada a 1-0 lead off a dazzling rush and backhand into the top shelf over the shoulder of Connor Hellebuyck.
The Bell Centre crowd was deafening, Team USA needed a spark. It got it from Charlie McAvoy. The Bruins star defenseman lined up McDavid as he was flying through the neutral zone and crushed him with an open-ice hit. Twenty-seven seconds later, Jake Guentzel tied the game, and the Americans didn’t look back from there.
Jaccob Slavin spoke about McAvoy’s impact on the team and praised him for his momentum-changing hit against Canada:
“I mean, he’s obviously an unbelievable defenseman, one of the best in the league. And for him to be able to do what he does and play that physical, style of game, but also controlled and s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed and to make plays with the puck.
“But to do it against the best players in the world, and obviously being able to throw a hit like that on the guy with that speed is unbelievable. So his positioning; his hockey sense is just is awesome. And he’s such a solid player.”
Strong words and praise for McAvoy who’s in the third season of an eight-year, $76,000,000 contract with Boston. He’s had somewhat of a down season in 2024-25, so the Bruins hope his play at the 4 Nations will carry over to the rest of the NHL campaign.
Jaccob Slavin was phenomenal against Team Canada
Not enough can be said about how good Jaccob Slavin played on Saturday night against Team Canada.
The 30-year-old defenseman was a workhorse playing 25:36 minutes, the most of any player on either team, and was a +3 rating, with 3 blocked shots.
The Carolina Hurricane played key minutes against Canada’s top forwards Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby. Not only did he match up with Canada’s best, he completely shut them down, frustrating them in the process.
Slavin was receiving some well-deserved recognition postgame on X (formerly Twitter).
He’s always been known as one of the best defensive defensemen in hockey. On Saturday night, he showed it on the world’s biggest stage against the world’s best players.
Jaccob Slavin and Team USA will complete their round-robin portion of the tournament on Monday night against Team Sweden. The puck drops at 8 p.m. EST at TD Garden.
