U.S. Player Ratings: Slavin delivers defensive masterclass

Three fights within the first nine seconds of the matchup probably wasn’t what U.S. head coach Mike Sullivan meant when he called for “controlled emotion” during his pre-game address, but clearly his players had a message of their own to send in the early seconds of this long-awaited battle against Canada. 

Matthew Tkachuk said earlier this week he’d waited nine years for this hotly contested best-on-best contest between cross-border foes, and he wasn’t going to wait a second longer to re-ignite the rivalry. His tone-setting scrap off the opening faceoff hard launched us all into another edition of Canada vs. USA, with brother Brady and teammate J.T. Miller following suit with bouts of their own before the actual hockey began. 

Once the game truly got underway, fans were treated to a hard-checking, defence-heavy battle that saw the Americans come out on top 3-1, thanks to a masterful performance in their own zone and opportunistic scoring. Connor McDavid was the lone goal-scorer for Canada, while Jake Guentzel, who opened and closed the scoring, and Dylan Larkin, whose second-period snipe served as the eventual game-winner, played hero for the U.S. 

This game was worth the wait, and for Team USA, the victory will be savoured — not just because the nation has waited more than a decade to best their neighbours to the north at this level but because it guarantees the Americans a spot in next week’s championship game.

Here’s a closer look at Team USA’s winning performance over Canada, and how each player fared in the victory. 

Jack Eichel: 8/10
His elite playmaking on full display once again, the Golden Knights centreman served up a perfect pass on a silver platter for Jake Guentzel to get Team USA on the board in the first frame and tie up the game 1-1. His chemistry with the Tkachuk brothers is really fun to watch. 

Matthew Tkachuk: 8/10
As if this game needed any more emotion injected into it, the top-line winger challenged Canada’s Brandon Hagel to a tone-setting scrap off the opening faceoff, igniting the crowd and sparking the wildest game-opening sequence we’ve ever seen in this rivalry. Unfortunately, Tkachuk’s campaign was cut short in the third period with an undisclosed injury — but he made it clear post-game he wasn’t concerned about it going forward. 

Brady Tkachuk: 9/10
Mike Sullivan called the Tkachuk-Eichel-Tkachuk line “a catalyst for our team,” and that couldn’t have been more accurate, considering how this matchup started. Seeing Matthew open up the sin bin door for his little brother after Brady exchanged blows with Sam Bennett seconds after his own brawl was pure cinema, and Brady’s unique combination of wrecking-ball-meets-finesse-forward was on full display against Canada with his team-leading six hits and trio of scoring chances. 

Jake Guentzel: 9/10
Few coaches know Guentzel’s skillset better than Sullivan, who said post-game he’s not surprised to see the former Penguins forward thrive on the biggest stage. After getting the Americans on the board in the opening frame to tie things up 1-1 in the first period, Guentzel — who’s playing in his first international tournament at any level — doubled down on his goal-scoring with an empty-netter that secured the Americans the victory Saturday night and guaranteed the team’s entry in next week’s championship game. In addition to his pair of goals, he also led the team in shots, with five.

Auston Matthews: 7/10
After seeing his quick chemistry with linemate Jack Hughes against the Finns, it felt like Saturday might be Matthews’ moment to shine. But while the boos were loud, the production was quiet — albeit, he didn’t exactly have an easy assignment, lining up against Canada’s top combos. He was held without a single shot in this one, but his sound defensive efforts and heavy minutes against top tough competition (Matthews led all forward in ice time) should earn him some praise.

Jack Hughes: 6/10
Held without a point on a pair of shots, Hughes didn’t have much room to generate offence against Canada, and the physical game plan doesn’t exactly jive with his style. It’ll be interesting to see if he can jumpstart a little offence against the Swedes on Monday night. 

J.T. Miller: 8/10
For the second straight game, Miller found himself starting up a net-front scuffle following USA’s first trip to the offensive zone (a creature of habit, and havoc, it seems), but we all know he’s much more than an agitator. His lockdown penalty killing came up clutch a few times — on one occasion, he took away Brayden Point’s stick to keep him from capitalizing on a juicy rebound — and his strong play earned him a promotion to the top line in the third period after Matthew Tkachuk was sidelined.

Dylan Larkin: 9/10
After playing just 11:14 as a fourth-line winger against the Finns, Larkin centred Team USA’s third line on Saturday night and brought a spark — not to mention, some net-front grit we’re not used to seeing from the Red Wings captain. In addition to muddying up Binnington’s kitchen early and often in an attempt to throw the Canadian netminder off his game, Larkin scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal on a perfect snap shot after speeding down the wing. He also dished up a well-placed pass to Jake Guentzel, who put one in the back of Canada’s empty net late in the third.

Matthew Boldy: 7.5/10
Boldy’s having himself a great tournament so far. He pounced on the turnover that led to Larkin’s game-winner in the second period, on which he earned an assist. 

Kyle Connor: 6.5/10
Connor was demoted from the first line in USA’s tournament-opening game to the fourth in their second, and he didn’t see much ice time in this one. He played a team-low 8:32 with just 12 shifts, but still made an impact with four hits — second in the category among all USA forwards.

Vincent Trocheck: 7/10
With just over 10 minutes of ice time Saturday night, Trocheck’s game didn’t have a lot of time to shine, but his strong defensive skills came up big in this one. Canada was given very little space, and that tight-checking, high-forecheck game plan is one Trocheck has owned well. 

Brock Nelson: 7/10
On a star-studded roster with so much offensive skill, Nelson’s game gets overshadowed, considering his role. But he plays it really effectively, unafraid to get into puck battles and grind it out along the boards — and one of these times, it feels like he’ll capitalize on an offensive-zone steal. 

Zach Werenski: 8/10
Werenski had a helper on Guentzel’s first-period goal, but while his offensive prowess was what stood out most against the Finns Thursday night, Saturday showcased his smooth skating and shutdown ability. Werenski gave his opponents no space to play, foiling some of the game’s best scorers. 

Charlie McAvoy: 9/10
McAvoy couldn’t take the puck off McDavid’s stick as No. 97 came barrelling into the U.S. zone and fired the puck past Hellebuyck to open the scoring early in the first period, but he put on a masterclass when it came to taking the player off the puck. The Bruin showcased his physicality in this one with five hits, headlined by an early clobbering of Crosby in the opening minutes and a textbook takeout of McDavid later in the frame, which sparked Guentzel’s goal on the ensuing rush. 

Jaccob Slavin: 10/10
When the success of your game is measured in how many plays don’t happen, it can be hard to recognize and appreciate just how great a performance Slavin had. But give Slavin his flowers, because he was outstanding in this one. He played a whopping 25:36 — a team-high — and gave up very few opportunities, locking down the defensive zone and boxing out some of the game’s best goal-scorers all night. A masterclass. 

Brock Faber: 9/10
Paired with Slavin — and playing just as many minutes as his D-partner — was an opportunity Faber deserved after his strong play Thursday night, and he more than rose to the opportunity. His shutdown abilities were on full display, particularly in penalty-kill situations. His clutch zone-clearing late in the third helped tee up Guentzel’s empty-netter. 

Adam Fox: 7/10
Fox played the fewest minutes of all U.S. rearguards Saturday night, and generally hasn’t stood out — for better or for worse — in this tournament so far. We’re used to seeing Fox contribute a little more offensively, but he understood his role and played accordingly as part of a defensive unit that emphasized shutdowns over breakouts. 

Noah Hanifin: 9/10
Hanifin wasn’t his best Thursday night, and made up for it in a big way on Saturday’s big stage. He was extremely effective at clogging up and locking down the U.S. zone, his best play coming when he busted up a two-on-one against McDavid and Sam Reinhart.

Connor Hellebuyck: 9/10
Put another digit in the win column for Hellebuyck, whose international record now reads 11-1-0, with an incredible 1.50 goals-against average and .942 save percentage overall. His second straight game giving up just a single goal, Hellebuyck was not only a steady presence behind an elite group of defenders but a momentum-swinger, too — he made a flurry of three saves before Larkin broke free on an odd-man rush to go up 2-1 in the second period. Hellebuyck made sure that lead was locked in.

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