Inside Canada’s epic win in the 4 Nations Face-Off: Grades, takeaways, early questions for the 2026 Olympics
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Kristen Shilton
Heading into the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, many expected that the United States and Canada would be the teams to beat and meet in the championship game.
No one expected that the two countries’ opening round matchup would be so intense, or that the final game would be an instant classic, decided in overtime on the stick of Connor McDavid.
Here are grades for the United States and Canada, including the biggest takeaways, the key player to watch for the 2026 Olympics, and lingering questions for each nation in the buildup to the Winter Games.
Grading the teams
Canada: A
Canada had star power to spare in its lineup, but there was no way relying on just the top lines to contribute was going to get them past an equally stacked American team. Kudos to head coach Jon Cooper for recognizing that and tapping into all Canada had to offer.
The addition of Cale Makar on the blue line — after he missed the round-robin matchup between these teams with an illness — was a significant improvement for Canada, but their other elite skaters were still stymied. By midway through the third period, there were no shots on goal from players like Mitch Marner and Sidney Crosby; beating an all-world goalie like Connor Hellebuyck isn’t easy at the best of times, and Canada could have made him more uncomfortable.
In such an evenly matched game, open ice was hard to find. Canada cracked the Vezina Trophy favorite with savvy play that other countries in the event couldn’t manage. That was a win in itself. McDavid producing the overtime game-winner was simply poetic.
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Connor McDavid on Canada’s win: ‘It means the world to our group’
Connor McDavid reacts to Canada’s OT win over USA in 4 Nations championship game.
United States: A-
The USA didn’t need a group chat to outline their strategy in this one. The final was no time for fisticuffs; it was more about finesse.
Fortunately, the Americans had that on display, too. Jake Guentzel might have been the most effective forward on both sides of this game, frustrating the Canadian defense with some flashy moves. And anyone who didn’t recognize how good Jaccob Slavin can be got a masterclass in the way he dominated from the back end, with Ray Ferraro referring to him as an “eraser” in the defensive zone.
While both players deserve praise, it was maybe leaning too much on individuals that kept the U.S. from taking over earlier in the game. The team let Canada bring the action to them for the first two periods before turning up the heat in those final 20 minutes. Would the U.S. have run away with a victory had it pressed earlier?
What we learned
Depth makes a difference
The stars showed up on both sides of the final, but depth skaters made their presence felt, too. Jake Sanderson and Sam Bennett pocketed second period goals, showing why certain skaters were targeted by their countries for this short-term opportunity — it’s because they can make an impact.
Bennett was the one who drew Canada’s second period penalty and while his countrymen didn’t capitalize, he gave them a chance. And Sanderson wouldn’t have been in the lineup if it weren’t for an injury to Charlie McAvoy, which just shows why roster construction is such a delicate task in these tournaments.
Given how quickly injuries can happen, teams have to trust whatever skaters are waiting in the wings — same with Thomas Harley stepping in for Josh Morrissey — and in an evenly fought matchup like this one, depth can move the needle.
0:49
Sam Bennett’s wrister ties the score for Canada
Sam Bennett speeds to the net and scores on a wrister to bring Canada even with USA at 2-2.
Goaltending hardly a great divide
There were long discussions around how Jordan Binnington would stack up against Hellebuyck in a final game. And it turns out both netminders were excellent.
Most of the game was evenly played in shots on goal, and Binnington came through with just as many clutch stops as Hellebuyck to give his team a chance to win. Earlier concerns about Binnington’s ability to match Hellebuyck now seem silly, particularly as star players at both ends — Auston Matthews and McDavid — couldn’t find twine early on.
The key for Binnington especially was to make the stop that counted, like when he stoned Matthews and Brady Tkachuk in overtime. He was Canada’s OT MVP.
Hellebuyck exceptional too; one of the goalies had to give up a winner, and in the end it wasn’t a knock on either to see that puck cross the line.
Player to watch in the build to the Olympics
Crosby is, by all accounts, the heartbeat of every team he plays for — whether it’s the Pittsburgh Penguins or on the intentional front. Crosby will be 38 when the 2026 Olympic Games roll around. What can Canada reasonably expect from him in that tournament?
Crosby was Canada’s points leader at 4 Nations going into the final, with one goal and four assists, proving that he’s still incredibly effective even when he’s battling an injury (there’s a reason he kept that left hand in a hoodie during every media availability during the 4 Nations event). But will another year of NHL wear and tear allow Crosby to take on key responsibilities again in Italy?
There are a number of up-and-coming forwards in Canada’s system and while Crosby is guaranteed a spot on his country’s Olympic roster, where he slots in will be fascinating.
1:31
Crosby after victory: ‘You saw the hockey that was on display’
Sidney Crosby reflects on playing for Canada and winning the 4 Nations Face-Off Championship.
We did not see the best of Matthews in this 4 Nations tournament. He’s battled injuries throughout the NHL season and didn’t register his first shot on goal in the event until the championship.
And yet, Matthews is a generational scoring talent who can be a wicked game-breaker unlike anyone in the USA program. He was named 4 Nations captain for a reason, and if that opportunity didn’t showcase all Matthews has to offer, then a healthy version at the Olympics could tell an entirely different story.
And if it does, what difference does that make for the USA in those Games? Matthews has excelled at every level and whatever he does in the offseason to guard against injury in the coming year will play into how performs in Italy. There’s no doubt what he’s capable of. It’s all about health and ensuring he’s primed to be at his best come next year.
Lingering questions for the Olympics
How will Canada approach it’s goaltending?
Canada came under heavy scrutiny for their goalie choices in this tournament. Logan Thompson wasn’t included among Canada’s trio, and frankly deserved to be. Will he emerge as a starter for Canada when it comes to the Games? Or is what Binnington provided as the only Canadian goalie used at 4 Nations enough to give him the inside track to be Canada’s No.1?
Or does another candidate emerge? Will Stuart Skinner Or Darcy Kuemper push their way into the conversation?
Canada’s top forwards and defensemen haven’t been in question. It comes down to who they think will give them the best chance in net, given that Jon Cooper didn’t give either Adin Hill or Sam Montembeault a sniff at 4 Nations.
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Jordan Binnington makes a sprawling save on Brady Tkachuk in OT
Jordan Binnington stands on his head in overtime with a sprawling save for Canada to keep the score tied.
What will a healthy USA blue line look like?
It looked for a moment like the USA might get Quinn Hughes in for the final, after he was originally sidelined by injury for the tournament. That roster addition didn’t come to fruition, but what difference might Hughes have made? Especially if he was on a back end that included a healthy McAvoy, forced out of the tournament by an upper-body ailment?
The U.S. showed time and again it can generate offense, and their goaltending group was arguably the event’s best. It’s not that they lacked defensive prowess without Hughes and McAvoy in the mix, but it’s hard not to wonder how much more dominant this team could be in Italy with all they top skaters available.
Because when they orchestrate a tight, shut-down game they can be as good or better than any opponent.
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Bill Connelly
The 2025 College Football Playoff got underway in Norman, Oklahoma, on Friday night, and we’ve already seen a first. After all four home teams won by demonstrative margins in last year’s first round, Alabama became the first road team to prevail in a playoff game with a stirring comeback against Oklahoma and a 34-24 win.
Here are the main takeaways. We will update this with each completed game.
What just happened?
Oklahoma’s offense only had 20 minutes in it. The Sooners were perfect out of the gate, bursting to a 17-0 lead against an Alabama team that looked completely unprepared for the moment. But the Crimson Tide adjusted and rallied, and OU had only a brief answer. From 17 down, Bama outscored its hosts by a 34-7 margin from there.
We use the word “momentum” far too much in football, but this was an extremely momentum-based game.
1. Over the first 19 minutes, Oklahoma went up 17-0 while outgaining Bama by a stunning 181-12 margin. It could have been worse, too, as the Sooners’ Owen Heinecke came within millimeters of a blocked punt that might have produced a safety or a touchdown.
2. Over the next 21 minutes, Bama outscored the Sooners 27-0, outgaining them, 194-59. Freshman Lotzeir Brooks caught two touchdown passes — the first on a fourth-and-2 to finally get Bama on the board (after he caught a huge third-down pass earlier in the drive), and the second TD came on a 30-yard lob that put the Tide up for good. The Tide defense got pressure on John Mateer, and his footwork and composure vanished. An egregious pick-six thrown directly to Zabien Brown tied the game, and Bama scored the first 10 points of the second half as well.
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Zabien Brown stuns OU with game-tying pick-six before halftime
Zabien Brown takes a big-time interception 50 yards to the house to tie the score before halftime.
OU responded briefly, cutting the margin to three points early in the fourth quarter thanks to a 37-yard Deion Burks touchdown. But the Sooners’ offense couldn’t do enough, and kicker Tate Sandell, the Groza Award winner, missed two late field goals to assure a Bama win.
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Tate Sandell’s back-to-back FG misses help Alabama secure 1st-round win
Tate Sandell misses a pair of late field goals as Alabama holds on to beat Oklahoma 34-24 in the CFP first round.
Impact plays
Oklahoma beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa in November — in the game that eventually certified the Sooners’ CFP bid — thanks to a pick-six and special teams dominance. But the tables turned completely in Norman. Brown’s pick six was huge, and special teams completely abandoned the Sooners, both with Sandell’s misses and with a botched punt in the second quarter.
The botched punt was actually the second of a two-part sequence that turned the game against the Sooners. First, Mateer passed up an easy third-and-3 conversion to throw downfield to a wide open Xavier Robinson, but he short-armed the pass and dropped it. On the very next snap, punter Grayson Miller dropped the ball moving into his punting motion. Bama’s Tim Keenan III recovered the ball at the OU 30, and while OU’s defense held the Tide to a field goal, what could have been a 24-3 OU lead turned instead into a 17-10 advantage. That set the table for Brown’s pick-six and everything that followed.
The blown early lead leaves Oklahoma with quite the ignominious feat: In the history of the College Football Playoff, teams are 28-2 with a 17-point lead: OU is 0-2, and everyone else is 28-0. Ouch.
See you next fall, Sooners
We knew that whenever Oklahoma’s season ended, offense would be the primary reason. The Sooners survived playing with almost no margin for error for most of the year. Their No. 49 ranking in offensive SP+ was the worst of any CFP team, but they got enough defense (third in defensive SP+), special teams (21st in special teams SP+) and quality red zone play to overcome it.
The Sooners’ defense still played well on Friday night — Bama gained only 260 total yards (4.8 per play) — but the special teams miscues put more pressure on the offense to come through, and after a brilliant start, it ran out of steam. Mateer began the game 10-for-15 for 132 yards with a touchdown, 26 rushing yards and a rushing TD, but his last 31 pass attempts gained just 149 yards with five sacks and the pick, and his last nine non-sack rushes gained just 15 yards.
Brent Venables therefore heads into the offseason with some decisions to make. OU’s offense technically improved after the big-money additions of coordinator Ben Arbuckle and Mateer, but Mateer was scattershot before his midseason hand injury and poor after it. Do the Sooners run it back with the same roster core, hoping that better health and a theoretically improved run game can give the defense what it needs to take OU to the next level? Does Venables hit the reset button again? Can he ever get all the arrows pointed in the right direction at the same time?
What’s next
Alabama’s reward for the comeback win is a trip out West: The Tide will meet unbeaten and top-seeded Indiana in the Rose Bowl on January 1. Bama’s defense will obviously face a stiffer test from Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza and the Hoosiers attack, but Bama’s defense has been mostly up for the test this season. Their ability to pull an upset will be determined by Ty Simpson and the Alabama passing game.
Simpson began Friday night’s win just 2-for-6 with a sack, and while he improved from there and didn’t throw any interceptions — his final passing line: 18-for-29 for 232 yards, two touchdowns and four sacks (6.0 yards per attempt) — his footwork still betrayed him quite a bit over the course of the evening, and he misfired on quite a few passes. Oklahoma’s pass rush is fearsome, but Indiana’s defense ranks seventh in sack rate itself, and with almost no blitzing whatsoever. The Hoosiers generate pressure and clog passing lanes, and they held Oregon‘s Dante Moore and Ohio State‘s Julian Sayin to 5.1 yards per dropback with 11 sacks and two touchdowns to three picks. Bama will be an underdog for a reason.
That said, kudos to the Tide for getting off the mat. They were lifeless at the start, missing tackles and blocks and looking as unprepared as they did in their season-opening loss to Florida State. But Brooks’ play-making lit the fuse, and Bama charged back.
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