U.S. Player Ratings: Slavin's defensive brilliance on display

Another classic battle between Canada and the USA is in the books, and this one wasn’t easy on the nerves. 

As Canada celebrates its golden 4 Nations Face-Off victory, the 3-2 overtime outcome concluding a tournament that reignited this rivalry — and, ultimately, represented far more than the game on the ice — the Americans are left to contend with the many what-ifs.

The roster will be studied, obvious weak spots on the fourth line subject to scrutiny about whether this was, in fact, the best group of forwards U.S. brass could’ve assembled. We know the blue line was missing a few key pieces in Quinn Hughes, who was forced to sit out the tournament due to injury, and Charlie McAvoy, whose own ailment held him out of the final. The team felt both losses throughout this tournament, but it was particularly obvious against Canada’s best. 

With all that in mind, here’s a look at how every U.S. player fared in Thursday night’s championship loss to Canada.

Jake Guentzel: 8/10
A consistent scoring presence not just in this gold medal final but in the tournament overall — especially in Team USA’s first meeting with Canada on Saturday, when he scored twice. While he didn’t get on the board in this one, his trio of shots and five hits made him one of the most productive players at generating chances.

Auston Matthews: 8/10
His positioning on McDavid’s overtime game-winner will draw criticism, and that’s fair — but overall, Matthews was excellent all night, including defensively with three blocked shots and really strong two-way play. He assisted on both American goals, finding instant chemistry with the Tkachuks after head coach Mike Sullivan swapped his top two centremen, and caused Canadians coast-to-coast more than a little anxiety in overtime with scoring chances that seriously tested Jordan Binnington.

Jack Hughes: 5/10
Hughes’ creativity was on display with early opportunities, setting up both Matthews and Guentzel in his first shift, but he became less and less impactful as the game went on and too easy to knock off the puck. Defensively, he wasn’t up to the task, and Canada took advantage. 

Brady Tkachuk: 9/10
The heart and soul of Team USA was also the squad’s grit, muscle, and energy — not just Thursday night, but throughout the tournament. His game-tying goal late in the first period got USA on the board, and his team-leading four shots and five hits helped keep this matchup a close one from wire to wire. 

Jack Eichel: 8/10
Eichel’s a wizard to watch with the puck, but we already knew that — what this tournament put on full display was his elite defensive game, too. A clutch shot block on the penalty kill — one of five blocked shots, tied for most on the team Thursday night — showcased just one of the many ways he can impact a game. 

Matthew Tkachuk: Incomplete
The elder Tkachuk brother called this matchup the biggest game of his career — and that’s saying something, considering we watched him suit up in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last spring. Unfortunately, the matchup was cut short for him due to an undisclosed injury, which saw him play just 6:47 on the night.

J.T. Miller: 7/10
This was a game of highs and lows for Miller, who was impactful at both ends of the ice — but perhaps never more than within the final 30 seconds of regulation, when he swooped in and swept the puck away from the side of the net before Connor McDavid could pounce. His role in a messy neutral-zone turnover, which led to Canada’s game-tying goal in the second period, should be noted, though. 

Dylan Larkin: 8/10
Larkin’s ascension from the fourth line to the first is now complete, with the Red Wings captain capping what’s been a really solid tournament with one of his best efforts. While he was held off the scoresheet Thursday night, his speed up and down the wing to generate scoring chances — and a close call in the first, that almost saw him tie things up after breaking free and picking up his own rebound — helped the U.S. match Canada’s pace, and his penalty kill prowess came up clutch, too. 

Matt Boldy: 7/10
Sullivan’s line juggling saw him turn to Boldy often as one of the club’s most versatile forwards. He led all U.S. forwards in ice time, and while his offence wasn’t felt as much as in previous games, he’s clearly earned Sullivan’s trust throughout this process. 

Brock Nelson: 4/10
Errors contributed to Canada’s second-period goal — Nelson was caught on his heels and didn’t have the speed to get back to his man on Sam Bennett’s ensuing marker — and his ill-advised icing preceded the U.S.-zone faceoff that led to McDavid’s overtime game-winner (and Nelson’s minus-2 rating). 

Vincent Trocheck: 5/10
Trocheck’s lucky his team has such a strong penalty kill — he took an undisciplined and poorly timed tripping minor soon after the Americans took the lead, which could’ve swung the momentum in the wrong direction. 

Chris Kreider: 4/10
Kreider’s performance Monday night was enough to sway head coach Mike Sullivan to dress him again Thursday in place of a healthy-scratched Kyle Connor — a decision that raised a few eyebrows pre-game and now looks pretty regrettable. Despite being short a forward after Tkachuk was unable to finish the game, Sullivan rarely turned to Kreider, whose 6:25 of playing time ranks last on the team. 

Zach Werenski: 8/10
The Americans were without Charlie McAvoy, and it showed. Werenski was forced to play on his opposite side, and while he still found opportunities to jump into the offensive zone to spark a scoring chance, his overall play wasn’t as smooth as we’re used to. His helper on Jake Sanderson’s second-period goal completed his streak of at least one point in all four tournament games and gave him the lead in points across the 4 Nations Face-Off. Impressive. 

Jake Sanderson: 8/10
McAvoy’s absence opened the door for Sanderson to suit up in his second game with the American squad, and he more than lived up to expectations. Three blocked shots in the first period kept the Canadians from capitalizing on more opportunities, and his goal in the second period gave the Americans the lead. 

Jaccob Slavin: 10/10
The clutch clearance on the second-period penalty kill. The sweeping of his stick to keep Crosby from cashing in during net-front chaos. The full-body sliding block to break up a Canadian rush in the third. Any one of those plays would earn him high praise, but put them all together, and you’ve got one of the best defensive performances the game has seen in a long time.

Brock Faber: 7/10
It’s easy to be overshadowed when your defence partner is doing his best impression of Superman every shift, but Faber had himself a solid game, too. He led the team in ice time with 28:50 and recorded a takeaway in the sound defensive effort. 

Noah Hanifin: 7/10
Hanifin’s had an up-and-down tournament, and this final game kind of encompassed that. Offensively, he made a smart play to fire the puck along the boards and out of Binnington’s reach after previous dump-ins towards the crease were corralled by the netminder, which led to the Matthews-Brady goal. But defensively, he struggled at times and was on the ice for McDavid’s game-winner. 

Adam Fox: 5/10
A bad giveaway in the second period, which saw him fire the puck towards the benches where a Canadian stick scooped it up, cost his team a goal, and his minus-2 rating was the lowest of the blue liners, as was his 17:05 ice time.  

Connor Hellebuyck: 8/10
You can’t save what you can’t see, and the Canadians did a great job of screening Hellebuyck on MacKinnon’s game-opening goal. The Jets netminder was praised heartily by his teammates post-game, and rightly so — he stumped Canada on several occasions Thursday night, staying calm and cool while collecting 24 saves. It took the game’s best player to best him in the end.