GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. UNITED STATES (FEB. 11)

TV: CBC | Stream: CBC.ca

It’s a all-North American matchup on Saturday afternoon (Friday night in Canada) when Canada’s Men’s Olympic Team faces off against the United States in prelim play at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

LAST GAME

Canada opened its schedule with a bang, getting goals from Alex Grant, Ben Street and Daniel Winnik inside the first 11 minutes of a 5-1 win over Germany. Street finished with a goal and an assist, Kent Johnson and Eric O’Dell added two helpers apiece and Edward Pasquale made 23 saves in the Canadian goal.

The Americans cruised in their opener, riding a Sean Farrell hat trick to an 8-0 win over host China. Farrell added two assists for a five-point effort, Ben Meyers added a goal and two helpers and Drew Commesso made 29 saves to earn the shutout.

LAST MEETING

Canada and the U.S. last faced off at the Olympics in the 2014 semifinals. Goaltending was the story, as Carey Price and U.S. counterpart Jonathan Quick combined to stop 67 of the 68 shots they faced. Jamie Benn scored early in the second period and Price made it stand up with 31 saves, sending Canada to the gold medal game after a 1-0 win.

The last top-level meeting between the countries came last May at the 2021 IIHF World Championship, again in the semifinals. Canada continued its Cinderella run to gold, getting two goals from tournament MVP Andrew Mangiapane – including the game-winner very early in the third period – and avenging its preliminary-round loss with a 4-2 victory.

WHAT TO WATCH

How about that Canadian depth? While all eyes were on the McTavish/Staal/Ho-Sang line when the lineup was unveiled, Canada got contributions from up and down its roster in the opener. The third line of Street, Johnson and O’Dell got things started with a pair of early goals, and the veteran fourth unit with Winnik, Adam Cracknell and David Desharnais quickly added another. Secondary scoring is key in short-term competition, and Canada appears to have that in spades.

The Americans have one of the youngest teams in the tournament, icing 15 skaters who needed permission to miss college classes to come to Beijing. But that youth movement sure looked good against the Chinese; seven of the eight goals came off the sticks of NCAA players, and Commesso was perfect on 29 chances in goal. The Canadians will undoubtedly be a tougher test, but early returns on the U.S. are positive.

A LOOK BACK

Canada has a decided head-to-head edge over its rivals to the south, claiming victory in 12 of 18 all-time meetings, with three of those ending in a tie. The Americans’ last win came during the preliminary round in Vancouver in 2010, but the teams met again in the gold medal game, and that one turned out pretty well for Canadians.

This is one of the longest standing rivalries in Olympic men’s hockey; the first meeting came in the inaugural tournament in 1920 (which was part of the Summer Games), when Hockey Hall of Fame member Frank Frederickson and Konnie Johannesson scored to give Canada a 2-0 semifinal win.

All-time record: Canada leads 12-3-3 (2-0 in overtime)
Canada goals: 64
United States goals: 39