The United States scored four times in the third period and defeated Finland 6-1 in each team’s opening game of the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
Brothers Matthew and Brady Tkachuk scored four goals, while Jake Guentzel and Matt Boldy added a goal and an assist to lead the United States to victory. Zach Werenski picked up three assists, and Jack Eichel added two as the United States pulled away in the third period to pick up the three points for the win. USA goaltender Connor Hellebuyck had 21 saves in the win.
Just two brothers living the dream together 🫶 #4Nations
🇺🇸: @espn & @ESPNPlus ➡️ https://t.co/S5tPrXCygm
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/rZzNliFus1— NHL (@NHL) February 14, 2025
Brady and Matthew Tkachuk are the second set of brothers to each score a goal in the same game at an NHL International Tournament, following Milan and Zbynek Michalek for the Czech Republic at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. With all that happened in this contest, here are the three top takeaways from the game.
Special Teams Need Improvement
It is not that Team USA went 2-for-4 on the power play, it was how they looked during those situations. The opening power play was a disaster, as the USA did not register a shot on goal, committed two offsides, and was overall too sloppy with the puck to generate good chances. They were a little better in their second man advantage, but still, they were too inconsistent to put one in the net. In a short tournament like the 4 Nations Face-Off, there must be some urgency to perform better on the power play.
In their third power play opportunity, Matthew Tkackuck scored a goal on a deflected wrister seconds into the third period. It was an important goal but more of a fluke than a concerted team effort, making it difficult to determine if the Team USA power play would be effective enough to help them throughout the tournament. However, it was a good sign that they were willing to put the puck on the net and not spend a great deal of time looking for the perfect pass and perfect shot, and that aggressiveness continued when they picked up another power-play goal in the middle of the third period.
TEAM USA IS ROLLING!
Two goals Matthew Tkachuk and Jake Guentzel to start the third period! #4Nations | @FlaPanthers | @TBLightning
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) February 14, 2025
The United States did a good job on the penalty kill, stopping both efforts that Finland had on the man advantage. The good news is that they only gave their opponents two opportunities on the power play. In this game, the United States played physically without getting careless and giving their opponents multiple power play opportunities.
Good Enough to Beat Canada?
The USA did a lot of really good things in this game. They displayed a lot of patience and poise in pulling ahead for the victory, especially in the third period. If you set aside the goal blitz at the beginning of the third, did the USA show enough to suggest they could defeat Canada to win the tournament?
The areas of concern are their sloppiness of play at times and turning the puck over way too many times for comfort. Against an offensively challenged squad like Finland, they were able to overcome the giveaways. Against a talented squad like Canada, it could be a recipe for disaster.
Related: Guide to the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off
The good news for the United States was that when there were breakdowns, Hellebuyck (20 saves) was there to ensure they were not costly. The USA was plus-15 in scoring chances and had an expected goals percentage of 72.5% at 5-on-5, a trend that needs to continue or get a little better for the rest of the tournament.
Best Decision to Date
In spite of last night’s game results, one of the best decisions USA Hockey made was to bring back the Lynyrd Skynard classic “Free Bird” as its goal song. The song was first used by the United States National Junior Team at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship back in December and became wildly popular with the team and the fans watching their games. Earlier on Thursday, Jack Hughes announced that the song will also be used during the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
Headphones on – Free Bird is BACK 🦅 #4Nations pic.twitter.com/FLt5kKhtjd
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) February 13, 2025
This song was the perfect choice for the gold medal-winning junior team. It has an American feel to it and also has been a good luck charm for USA Hockey over the last few months. The hit rock song from 1974 is a staple of American rock history. “Free Bird” consists of one of the greatest guitar solos of all time and is considered Lynyrd Skynyrd’s most popular song. The solo was written and performed by founding band member Allen Collins.
In what will be one of the most anticipated hockey games in recent memory, the United States will face Canada on Saturday night (Feb. 15) at 8 pm EST at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
