If you鈥檙e a Canadian patriot and a Maple Leafs fan still basking in the euphoric glow of Thursday night鈥檚 overtime win over the United States in the 4 Nations final, it鈥檚 understandable that you鈥檙e only taking positives out of the NHL鈥檚 long-awaited best-on-best showcase.
There are plenty to celebrate. Not only was Leafs forward Mitch Marner the primary setup man on two of Canada鈥檚 three goals in the final, including the Connor McDavid clincher. Marner scored the overtime winner in the opener against Sweden. On top of that, Leafs centreman Auston Matthews, the U.S. captain, looked like the most likely American to break Canadian hearts throughout the championship game. Matthews set up both his team鈥檚 goals by controlling the play down low. He had some glorious chances in overtime, too, only to be thwarted by the clutch netminding of Jordan Binnington.
All of that could easily be spun as a massive step forward for Marner and Matthews, whose enormously successful NHL careers have long been marred by a chronic case of underperformance in high-stakes moments. The Marner-Matthews Leafs are 0-for-6 in winner-take-all playoff games, including last spring鈥檚 Game 7 loss in Boston. In those losses, neither Marner nor Matthews has scored a goal. Heck, neither has managed more than a single assist in any contest. So, for both to rack up a pair of primary assists in Thursday鈥檚 highly anticipated showdown聽鈥 albeit in a different kind of winner-take-all contest with a different set of teammates聽鈥 could have been classed as a trip to uncharted territory.
For all that their hockey substance has grown near level with Canada, their superstars on an equal plane, in this epic encounter the Americans
For all that their hockey substance has grown near level with Canada, their superstars on an equal plane, in this epic encounter the Americans
鈥淚 thought both our guys were excellent in the game,鈥 Craig Berube, the Leafs coach, was saying after Friday鈥檚 practice in Etobicoke. 鈥淢atty had it on his stick in overtime, too, and could have ended it. But I thought they both had a good tournament. Happy for Mitch, he won. And I鈥檓 unhappy for Matty considering they didn鈥檛 win. But playing with the best players in the world, being in that environment, being in that stressed situation is good for our players, to experience that and to thrive in it.鈥
They didn’t thrive exclusively. Before he caught fire in the final, Marner was invisible for important stretches. Matthews, for all his positive plays, was ultimately a world-class scorer who failed to score a single 4 Nations goal. And while Berube lauded the 海角社区官网captain for his strong 鈥200-foot鈥 game, it won鈥檛 be forgotten that Matthews was at the crux of a game-deciding U.S. defensive miscue that saw him leave McDavid alone in the slot to bury the clincher. If great two-way players are often lauded for attention to detail, neglecting to keep an eye on the best player on the planet at the biggest moment of the biggest game of your international career seems like an important box left unchecked.
CONNOR MCDAVID!!!! THE GAME WINNER!!! CANADA WINS THE FACE-OFF 馃嚚馃嚘馃嚚馃嚘馃嚚馃嚘
鈥 Sportsnet (@Sportsnet)
Not that Berube was in the mood to nitpick a game in which he wasn鈥檛 coaching. Berube, though he has made the U.S. his off-season residence, is a proud Canadian from small-town Alberta. So the potential competitive evolution of Marner and Matthews wasn鈥檛 his only interest in Thursday鈥檚 game. The coach said he was among the Leafland Canadians who won bets with Matthew Knies, the Phoenix-bred winger who said he lost “a few hundred” on his fellow Americans.
鈥(Knies) hasn鈥檛 paid me yet, but I said, 鈥業t鈥檒l be more tomorrow,鈥欌 Berube said.
Nobody is saying Berube has the look of a guy who might earn a living breaking legs for a bookmaker, but the coach did partake in 303 NHL fights as a player. Knies might be well advised to settle that debt pronto.聽
Not everyone in Leafland seemed overly excited about Thursday鈥檚 result. Leafs centreman John Tavares said he went to bed after the third period and recorded the overtime to watch in the morning. Winger William Nylander, who played for Sweden, also hit the sack after the third period. As of noon Friday, Nylander claimed to have not yet seen video evidence of Marner setting up McDavid鈥檚 winning goal.
鈥淚鈥檒l have to take a look,鈥 Nylander said.
If it鈥檚 hard to fake that kind of passion for the game, it says something about the state of pro sports that one of the key questions about players who competed in the 4 Nations revolved around their immediate availability. There鈥檚 little time for rest, after all. The Leafs play Saturday at home against Carolina and Sunday in Chicago. Marner and Matthews were absent from practice Friday. And while Berube had previously scoffed at the notion that Matthews and Marner might need a game off this weekend 鈥 鈥淵ou got somebody that鈥檚 going to go in and play?鈥 he said聽鈥 he left open the sliver of a possibility that rest might be an option.
For one glorious night, Binnington was lights out, prevailing over Connor Hellebuyck in what had loomed as a mismatch.
For one glorious night, Binnington was lights out, prevailing over Connor Hellebuyck in what had loomed as a mismatch.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot put into that (final) game, obviously, by both teams and players,鈥 Berube said. 鈥淚 think emotionally, it鈥檒l be interesting to see.鈥
Fair enough. But as draining as Thursday鈥檚 final might have been, the tournament wasn鈥檛 exactly a torture chamber. Matthews played three games in 13 days; Marner played four.
Assuming Matthews is healthy聽鈥 and in the lead-up to Thursday鈥檚 final he spoke of acquiring a 鈥渘ew鈥 injury beyond the undisclosed ailment he鈥檚 been nursing all season聽鈥 he ought to be ready to go. Ditto Marner. That鈥檚 what the eight-figure salaries are for. It鈥檚 time to turn those 4 Nations adventures into NHL results in the run-up to another swing at elusive playoff success.
鈥淚 know they鈥檒l be motivated coming back here to take (the 4 Nations experience) and grow from it and help us in the stretch run here,鈥 Tavares said about Matthews and Marner. 鈥淕reat to see (Marner) deliver a big play in a big moment on a great stage. I messaged him this morning; I haven鈥檛 heard back. Hopefully he鈥檚 getting a lot of sleep. If he鈥檚 not, that鈥檚 OK, too. I鈥檓 sure any time you accomplish something unique and special, you want to soak it in and enjoy it.鈥
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