Team Canada beats Sweden in overtime 4-3 to take the first-ever 4 Nations match. It was a nail-biter down to the very end, even going deep into overtime before Mitch Marner scored from a beautiful pass from Sidney Crosby.
Team Canada jumped out of the gates swinging. Both Nathan Mackinnon and Brad Marchand scored in the first period. Goaltender Jordan Binnington didn’t have much action, as Team Sweden only recorded three shots in the first 20 minutes of play. Heading into the second period, Sweden was determined to turn things up a notch, and they did just that.
Things were quiet for the first half of this period. One thing was obvious: Sweden was putting much more pressure on Binnington and Team Canada. That work saw results when Jonas Brodin scored with 10:27 left in the second. Victor Hedman and Lucas Raymond picked up the assist on Sweden’s first tally.
Sweden applied pressure, outshooting Canada 9-7 in the second period. Mark Stone got one back for Team Canada, scoring with 2:32 left in the period. Sidney Crosby picked up his second assist of the night on the play. Headed into the third period, Sweden was down 3-1. Things looked bleak, but the Swedes never gave up.
Sweden didn’t take long to get on the board in the third period. Just under two minutes into the last regulation period, Adrian Kempe scored his first goal of the 4 Nations Tournament. Defenseman Erik Karlsson and Mattias Ekholm both assisted on the goal. The game was now 3-2 Canada, but the Great White North were on their heels. Seven minutes later, Joel Eriksson Ek tied the game for Team Sweden. Jesper Bratt and Lucas Raymond assisted on the game-tying goal. Sweden would continue to pepper Canadian goaltender Jordan Binnington, outshooting Canada 10-6 in the third period. Things couldn’t be decided in regulation, so they headed to overtime.
4 Nations features a ten-minute overtime. Determined not to choke away a 3-1 lead, Team Canada came out of the gates swinging. They played basically the entirety of overtime in Sweden’s zone. Both teams traded quality scoring chances, but it was Mitch Marner who beat Filip Gustavsson to win the game. Marner was the Canadian hero, scoring from a Sidney Crosby pass. Canada was able to avoid a disastrous collapse, and Sweden was able to steal a point from the tournament favorites.
This was a great first 4 Nations matchup. Guys were taking things seriously, and it cultivated a great viewing experience. The way the point system works in this tournament is like this. A regulation win is worth three points; an overtime win is worth two points; an overtime loss is worth one point; and a regulation loss is worth zero points. Therefore, Team Canada starts the 4 Nations Tournament with two points, and Sweden grabs one point.
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