Canada Defeats Finland 5-3. Will Play USA In Championship Game

Team Canada defeated Team Finland 5-3 in Monday’s afternoon matchup, punching their ticket to the championship game against their historic rival, the United States.

Canada came out flying, scoring three times in the first period, including two goals in the opening four and a half minutes.

Connor McDavid opened the scoring after a costly giveaway from Finland’s Roope Hintz. Hintz’s clearing attempt was intercepted by McDavid, who found open ice and sniped a shot glove-side past Kevin Lankinen.

Just 46 seconds later, Nathan MacKinnon used his elite speed to burn past the Finnish defenders before burying a far-side shot past Lankinen’s blocker for a quick 2-0 lead.

Brayden Point capped off Canada’s first-period dominance, slamming home a rebound off a shot from defenseman Travis Sanheim. Canada dictated the pace, outshooting Finland 11-5 in the opening 20 minutes.

Five minutes into the second frame, captain Sidney Crosby set up MacKinnon for a one-timer in the slot, extending Canada’s lead to 4-0. That marked the end of the night for Lankinen, who was pulled for Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros after allowing four goals on 13 shots (.692 save%).

Canada carried their four-goal lead into the third, but Finland refused to go quietly.

Defenseman Esa Lindell put Finland on the board with a seeing-eye shot that found its way past Jordan Binnington’s blocker, making it 4-1.Then, with the goalie pulled and two minutes left in regulation, Finland came roaring back.

Mikael Granlund, Finland’s leading scorer, struck twice in just 23 seconds, suddenly turning a comfortable Canadian lead into a nail-biter. His first came after a chaotic scramble in front of Binnington, with Patrik Laine scooping up the puck and feeding Granlund in the slot for a five-hole finish.

Moments later, a set dump-in play saw Sebastian Aho dish the puck to Finland’s captain, Alexander Barkov, who quickly found Granlund in the slot for a blistering wrister over Binnington’s shoulder.

Finland was one goal away from completing the comeback, but Sidney Crosby had other plans.

The Canadian captain delivered the final dagger, burying an empty-net goal to seal a 5-3 victory and send Canada to the Four Nations Championship game.

Now, the stage is set. United States. Canada. A rematch for gold.

Canada has owned the hockey world for decades. But this is America’s chance to flip the script. A U.S. victory wouldn’t just mean gold—it would signal a shift in power. The dawn of a new hockey dynasty.

The answer comes Thursday at 8 PM EST. The battle for hockey’s future will be live on ESPN and ESPN+.