Ranking the top 15 performances at the 4 Nations Face-Off

It would’ve been difficult to script it any better, had the final game of the 4 Nations Face-Off played out only on the page rather than out on the ice.

Sudden-death overtime, the crowd on its feet, two of the best squads ever assembled for their countries going toe to toe, launching wave after wave at each other. And then, there, under the lights, amid the “U-S-A!” chants and a swirl of political tension that ramped up the weight of this thing more than anybody predicted, the puck arrives on Connor McDavid’s stick, with acres of open ice around him. Cue the confetti.

Rewind to the beginning of this tournament, somehow only a little over a week ago, and I’m not sure anyone on either side of the glass thought this tournament would become what it did. It seemed a fun addition to the calendar, a chance to see some generational talents line up alongside each other, and a worthy appetizer to the true best-on-best competition next year. But it took just one game for that perspective to shift, for the players to prove how invested they were, for them to show this would be much more than an international-flavoured All-Star Game.

And a week-and-a-half later, as the tournament came to a close, fans were up on their feet, cheering at the top of their lungs — in Boston, sure, but in living rooms and pubs and anywhere else that had a screen, all over the country, too.

With the Canadians crowned champions courtesy of No. 97’s overtime clincher, and the tournament now wrapped, let’s take stock of the best performances we saw during the 4 Nations Face-Off.

1. Connor McDavid, Canada

At the most important moment of this tournament, in the most important game of this tournament, it was McDavid rising to the occasion that made all the difference for the champs. But even beyond the trophy-clincher, No. 97 was crucial for the Canadians all tournament long. In the first meeting between Canada and the U.S., it was he who came up with the red-and-white’s only goal. In the must-win tilt against Finland, McDavid scored early to get Canada rolling, before setting up another later. Entering this tournament with the weight of expectations on his shoulders, in his first taste of national team action in nearly a decade, the Richmond Hill, Ont., product delivered for his country.

2. Connor Hellebuyck, United States

If not for the dramatic final act from the man above him on this list, it would’ve been a near-flawless tournament for Hellebuyck. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner entered the last game of the tourney having allowed just a pair of goals in two games. His presence was particularly pivotal during the first meeting between the two eventual finalists, Hellebuyck’s dominance a key factor in the Americans getting the best of the match-up. Even after allowing three in the final, Hellebuyck finishes as far and away the best goalie of the tournament.

3. Nathan MacKinnon, Canada

The sequence that will be remembered most from this 4 Nations Face-Off will be the very last one, with No. 97 playing the hero. But throughout Canada’s run, it was MacKinnon’s greatness that allowed his countrymen a chance at glory. The Nova Scotian phenom kicked things off with Canada’s first goal less than a minute into the tournament, then came up with a pair (including the game winner) in the victory over Finland that pulled Canada into the championship game, before he got the red-and-white started again with the first goal in Thursday’s finale. He finished with a tournament-leading four goals and a well-deserved MVP nod.

4. Sidney Crosby, Canada

This tournament had a different look for the Canadian captain. After donning the national-team sweater with the weight of carrying a nation in tournaments past, No. 87 arrived this time needing only to lead, to guide the next generation of high-flying game-breakers in the biggest moments. And he did that, setting the tone with a statement performance in Canada’s tournament opener — a three-point night that included a dazzling setup less than a minute into Canada’s first game, and another to set up the overtime winner. But Crosby’s finest moment of leadership came against Finland. As the Finns mounted a late comeback in the must-win affair, scoring a pair late to pull within one, the captain stepped up, levelled the Finns’ best at centre ice, and wired home a long-range empty-netter that killed the comeback, iced the game, and sent Canada on to the final.

5. Matthew Tkachuk, United States

Injuries limited the elder Tkachuk brother from having an even greater impact on this tournament, and if there’s one thing the Americans will carry into next year’s Olympics, it’ll surely be the thought of what they could do with a fully healthy lineup. Even so, Tkachuk was front and centre for the Americans, playing the same role he’s played for his club team so many times, as his squad’s heart-and-soul leader. He was crucial in setting the tone for his teammates early in the tournament, potting a pair of goals in the Americans’ first game, and dropping the gloves off the opening faceoff in the first Canada-U.S. meeting. Ultimately, a lower-body injury derailed his tournament and limited him to just seven minutes of ice in the championship game, with Tkachuk unable to play the third period or overtime. Still, he was at the centre of much of the tournament’s drama.

6. Brady Tkachuk, United States

It was full-on Bash Brothers mode for the Tkachuks in this tourney, and like Matthew, Brady made clear from Game 1 just how invested he was. The younger Tkachuk followed in his brother’s footsteps through the early goings — each scoring a pair in the Americans’ first game, each dropping the gloves in the first nine seconds of that wild Canada-U.S. tilt — but by the end of the tournament, after injuries sidelined some of the U.S.’s best, Brady kept coming forward, throwing his weight around and throwing pucks on net. The Scottsdale, Ariz., product finished tied for the second-most goals in the tournament with three, including the Americans’ first in Thursday’s final, and tied for the most shots over the course of the tourney, too.

7. Mikael Granlund, Finland

Among the two squads that fell short in this tournament, no one stepped up and had as seismic an impact as the Finns’ Mikael Granlund. While he and his countrymen were dealt a difficult hand, entering as the clear underdog alongside three stacked rosters, the Finns did what they always do, showing resilience and finding a way to make noise. Each time they did, Granlund was at the centre of it. In the 6-1 early drubbing at the hands of the high-flying Americans, it was the 32-year-old who set up Finland’s only tally. In the hard-fought rivalry match against Sweden, Granlund scored the overtime winner. And in a crucial game against Canada, with a ticket to the final on the line, the veteran singlehandedly authored a near-historic comeback, scoring twice in the final minute to pull his side within one, forcing Canada into a nervy finish. He finished tied for fourth in the tourney scoring race, with four points through three games.

8. Zach Werenski, United States

Coming into the tournament, there was no shortage of buzz around the Americans’ star-studded blue line, around the seemingly inevitable offensive wizardry of Quinn Hughes and Adam Fox. Then there was the hard-nosed Charlie McAvoy, and the shutdown king, Jaccob Slavin. Werenski all but flew under the radar amid that mix, but the smooth-skating rearguard wound up a crucial factor for the Americans. Putting points on the board in all four of the Americans' games — a trio of assists in the tournament opener against Finland, another against Canada, a helper even in the meaningless meeting with Sweden, and one more in Thursday’s final — Werenski finished the tournament as the 4 Nations Face-Off's leading scorer, with six points through four games.

9. Jaccob Slavin, United States

For a team stocked with gifted, offensive high-flyers, up front and on the blue line too, Slavin’s presence was essential for the Americans. He was more than just the counterbalance to the dynamism dotted elsewhere among the U.S. lineup — he was the best chance the team had at nullifying opposing squads who boasted that same thing. The veteran rearguard proved that most during the first meeting between Canada and the U.S., showcasing his shutdown prowess en route to a 3-1 U.S. win that left Canada’s future Hall of Famers largely stymied and frustrated. He was no less crucial in Thursday’s finale, Slavin’s steady, stifling approach a key reason it took an overtime nail-biter for Canada to clinch the trophy.

10. Mitch Marner, Canada

If not for his performance in the biggest moment of the biggest game, there’s little chance Marner’s name would be considered among the tournament’s best. Overall, it was something of a tumultuous run for the Markham, Ont., product, Marner starting with fireworks, then going quiet, then coming up clutch with the trophy on the line. Rewind to that must-win tilt against Finland, and No. 16 was among the least-used weapons on the red-and-white’s bench, coach Jon Cooper granting Marner the second-fewest minutes of any Canadian forward. And yet, with it all wrapped up, he finishes as an undeniably crucial piece of this championship effort, coming up with three of his squad’s most important sequences during the four-game run: the overtime winner in a tournament opener that started Canada off on the right foot against Sweden, a slick setup for Sam Bennett’s pivotal tying goal in Thursday’s championship game and, finally, the all-important setup for McDavid’s overtime tally that clinched the whole thing.

11. Jordan Binnington, Canada

There might not have been a single player in the tournament scrutinized as heavily as Binnington. It started two months before the tournament began, when the Canadian roster was first unveiled, and it hit a fever pitch later, when Binnington was named the starter for his country’s opening game. Given where he’s at in his career, the doubt was warranted, and the 31-year-old certainly looked human plenty of times over the course of Canada’s run. But the Team Canada brass made clear time and time again that it picked the Richmond Hill, Ont., product because of his chops as a big-game player — and in the final minutes of Thursday’s overtime finale, Binnington cemented that reputation, coming up with a few incredible, game-saving, championship-hope-preserving saves to keep the tilt alive before McDavid ended it.

12. Jake Guentzel, United States

Flying under the radar amid the chatter about the Tkachuk brothers, the blue-line injury chaos and Hellebuyck’s heroics, Guentzel continued his run as one of the game’s most underrated offensive difference-makers, quietly chipping in with some key contributions that helped the Americans find their way to the final. After bagging a goal and an assist during the opening rout of the Finns, Guentzel’s finest performance came in the Americans’ statement win against Canada, the 30-year-old coming up with two goals in the 3-1 win. He finished as the Americans’ most-used forward, and used those minutes to tie for the second-most goals and fourth-most points in the tourney.

13. Jack Eichel, United States

Eichel was somewhat overshadowed leading into this tournament, with much of the focus on Auston Matthews as the Americans’ lead pivot. In the end, while No. 34 mostly turned in a quiet tournament, Eichel was immense for the U.S., coming up with quality reads all over the sheet every game, taking turns at authoring sterling offensive sequences and helping to shut down his opponents’ best weapons. Although he was held off the board in the tournament finale, the 28-year-old was key in helping the Americans get there at all, putting up points in each of their previous three games and finishing tied for the second-most assists and fourth-most points in the tourney.

14. Sam Bennett, Canada

Take all those elements of the game outside the scoresheet, all the talk of heart-and-soul leaders, intangibles and X-factors, roll it all up together, and you get Sam Bennett. The Holland Landing, Ont., product raised some eyebrows when he first cracked the Canadian roster. He watched his countrymen’s first game from the press box. But when Bennett drew in for the first throwdown with the Americans, something shifted. Two seconds into his 4 Nations debut, the Canadian wrecking ball was dropping the gloves with Brady Tkachuk, stepping up against the American bruiser, who had 32 pounds on him. From there, Bennett was a relentless presence for the red-and-white every time he touched the ice, finishing among Canada’s shots leaders, landing the most impactful, momentum-altering hits of anyone in a red sweater and, most importantly, coming up with one of the most important goals of Canada’s title-clinching run: the one that pulled his country level in the final, paving the way for the eventual overtime finish.

15. Erik Karlsson, Sweden

It was largely a disappointing showing for Sweden, whose only win came in a meaningless meeting with an American squad that had already booked its ticket to the final. Still, there were bright spots for the Swedes. Tops among them was the veteran Karlsson, who turned back the clock with some vintage offensive performances. He was far from flawless, winding up on the wrong end of some defensive sequences too. But for a group that found itself struggling to string together a convincing attack, Karlsson tapped into the best of his offensive tool-kit and did what he’s long done best — whipping cross-ice passes to set teammates up to get on the board, finishing off end-to-end rushes with tallies of his own, and bringing out as much as he could from the group around him. The 34-year-old finished with the second-most points of any defenceman in the tournament, and tied for the most among the Swedes.

Honourable Mentions: Cale Makar, Charlie McAvoy, Patrik Laine, Jesper Bratt