Here are 3 keys to the game:
1. Puck management
The U.S. had better control of the first game through two periods thanks to smart plays with the puck, including dump-ins that led to an aggressive forecheck and retrievals. U.S. coach Mike Sullivan felt his team tried to protect a 2-1 lead too much during the third period, but it worked in the 3-1 victory.
Cooper said that night that he felt Canada was good for 180 feet, but it just couldn’t go the extra 20 to complete plays and generate more offense.
The point of all of that is puck management matters most when a game is as physical and tight-checking as it was Saturday. The expectation is it will be exactly the same type of game Thursday, which only emphasizes the need to be smart with the puck.
“Any time you put that type of talent on the ice, managing the puck is just an essential part of winning,” Sullivan said. “If you mismanage the puck, if you’re careless with the puck, if you chase offense, the unintended consequence of that is you can potentially give easy offense to your opponent. … I think these guys understand what winning looks like and managing the puck is an essential part of winning.”
2. Goaltending
With a strong game and a win, it’s reasonable to think U.S. goalie Connor Hellebuyck could be named the most valuable player in the tournament. He started the first two games and allowed two goals on 47 shots for a 1.00 goals-against average and .957 save percentage.
Hellebuyck stopped 25 of 26 shots in the win against Canada.
Goaltending, in fact, is probably last on the list of Sullivan’s worries or concerns heading into the game because of Hellebuyck, who also is in line to win the Vezina Trophy, voted as the NHL’s best goalie, for a second straight season and third time in his career.
It’s not quite the same for Canada with Jordan Binnington, who has allowed eight goals in three games and has a 2.60 GAA and .892 save percentage.
However, unlike Hellebuyck, Binnington has won a winner-take-all game, doing it in this building, when he made 32 saves in Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final to help the St. Louis Blues to a 4-1 win against the Boston Bruins.
The U.S. believes in Hellebuyck because he has been the best goalie in the League for almost two years, if not longer. Canada believes in Binnington because he already has won a biggest game of his career. This is Hellebuyck’s first.
3. Makar in, McAvoy out
The major difference in the rematch from the original is who is on the back end for each team.
Cale Makar, arguably the best defenseman in the NHL, will play for Canada after missing the first U.S. game because of an illness. Charlie McAvoy, who had a dominant effort in the win against Canada, will not play for the U.S.
McAvoy has a right shoulder injury and was diagnosed with an infection that required an irrigation and debridement procedure at Massachusetts General Hospital on Tuesday, according to the Bruins, his NHL team. He was still in the hospital as of Wednesday getting treatment.
The swing on the back end is in Canada’s favor with Makar in the lineup; it would have been anyway, even if McAvoy was healthy.
How the U.S. handles that and who steps up in McAvoy’s absence will be telling for how the United States plays Thursday. There’s zero doubt that Makar will at some point have an impact on the game.
“Let’s be honest, there’s a handful of defensemen you would call the best in the world and he’s in that handful,” Cooper said of Makar. “He’s a unique talent, and just like you look at some of the other players up front whether it’s the [Auston] Matthews or [Connor] McDavids, Cale, he’s a generational talent and any time you can plug that into your lineup, you’re pretty happy.”
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