Rangers set to compete in 4 Nations final rematch vs Canada: ‘Biggest game I’ve been a part of’
The stage is set for the finale of the 4 Nations Face-Off on Thursday night at TD Garden. United States vs Canada battling for the championship of this best-on-best international tournament in a rematch from one of the most spirited and highest-viewed hockey games just five days ago.
There will be at least three New York Rangers suiting up in the final. Adam Fox, Vincent Trocheck, and J.T. Miller are all expected to play for the United States. With Auston Matthews and both Tkachuk brothers, Matthew and Brady, expected to play following injuries, we’ll have to wait and see if Chris Kreider gets the call, or if he will be a healthy scratch like he was for the first two games.
Team USA coach Mike Sullivan said after the morning skate that the lineup will be revealed at warmups.
Kreider scored the lone goal in the United States’ 2-1 loss to Sweden in the final game of the round-robin Monday, making a case to be in the lineup for the final against Canada. Nonetheless, this will go down as one of the most important games of these players careers, for a lot of reasons.
“It’s up there”, Fox said. “Obviously only playoffs would be comparable. You get the first opportunity in a while to win a gold medal in best-on-best. That’s got to be the biggest game I’ve been a part of, so it’ll be fun and exciting, just ready to get it going.”
Several Rangers prepare for 4 Nations final, ‘as good as it gets’
It’s been a quiet tournament for Fox, who hasn’t registered a point, and has four penalty minutes. He’s provided a steady hand on defense, albeit in a second-pair role.
“We know the importance,” he said. “I think this whole tournament from the start, you felt that intensity. I think some of that starts to kick in (Thursday) when it’s the day of the game. This is probably the most jacked up I’ve been for a game, so ready to get it going for sure.”
If it’s anything like the round-robin matchup when the United States defeated Canada 3-1, we should see an all-out battle with big hits, incredible pace, and the best players in the world giving it their all. In the middle of all of that will be Trocheck, who also has yet to find the score sheet for Team USA.
A minus-1 throughout the tournament, Trocheck has assumed more of a checking role on this stacked United States team. He’s also played a key part in their penalty kill, playing with Miller on a unit.
“It’s pretty self explanatory, Team USA vs. Team Canada in a best-on-best tournament,” Trocheck explained. “After playing against each other in the round-robin and seeing the intensity of that game, I mean this is as good as it gets.”
While we may not see three fights in the first nine seconds like we did in the first meeting, expect a similar atmosphere for this final match. With everything on the line, it’s likely to be even more intense between these historic rivals.
That’s hard to even fathom, since the last meeting seemed like the intensity was cranked all the way up.
“I don’t think it’s very comparable to be honest,” Trocheck said. “It’s probably the most skilled, highest intensity, just best game I’ve ever been a part of.”
That’s a big statement from someone who’s had an extensive history of Stanley Cup Playoff hockey and big games under his belt. Miller, his childhood best friend and Rangers teammate, shared a similar point of view.
“Certainly one of them,” said Miller, who’s also without a point at the 4 Nations. “Other than a handful of game sevens, a couple gold medal games when I was younger. Obviously this one a bigger magnitude. Certainly could definitely be one of a handful, for sure.”
This game has every reason to live up to the hype. For many players, it’ll be the biggest game of their careers. United States and Canada face off in one of the most highly-anticipated hockey games in recent memory. As Trocheck said, it’s as good as it gets.
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