Matthew Tkachuk Reveals the Master Plan Behind the 3 Fights in 9 Seconds
NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun revealed that both Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, as well as J.T. Miller preemptively decided to drop the gloves ahead of Saturday's game.
To say that the Canada vs. USA game on Saturday night was going to be heated could be an understatement but nobody expected anything like what we saw. Within nine seconds there were three fights with the U.S. culprits being Brady and Matthew Tkachuk as well as J.T. Miller.
But while it seemed like tensions were boiling over from the starting face-off, it just so happens that the trio of fights was premeditated by the Tkachuk Brothers and Miller.
It looks like some players were seeing red and had no issues putting themselves at a disadvantage for the sake of making a point.
But how did the rest of the game turn out?
USA Defeats Canada In Rare Victory In Best-On-Best
It took the States 15 years to beat the Canadians at best-on-best -- with the last being the 2010 Olympics. The rare defeat also snapped Canada's (0-1-0-1) 17-game unbeaten streak at best-on-best dating back to 2010 as well.
The game started off hot with the aforementioned fights, and it didn't take long for Canada to strike first, with Connor McDavid springing free and speeding in to beat Connor Hellebuyck on the backhand five-and-a-half minutes into the game.
The U.S. (2-0-0-0) responded when Jake Guentzel went five-hole on Jordan Binnington to tie the game at one apiece.
Then Dylan Larkin decided to get in on the fun for the Americans and wired a wrister past Binnington to make it 2-1.
Finally, it was Guentzel who sealed the deal with his second of the night after depositing the puck into an empty net.
With the victory, the U.S. sealed a spot in the 4 Nations Finals and will await their challenger next Thursday in Boston.
Connor Hellebuyck made 25 saves for the States meanwhile Binnington had 20 stops. It was a physical and heated affair as well with the teams combining for 63 hits and 36 penalty minutes.
Canada's next test is taking on Finland on Monday, while Sweden takes on the U.S. on Monday as well.
No one could have expected the type of game that we saw on Saturday night, however if these two end up somehow meeting in the Finals: Expect the fireworks to be even more volatile second time round.
![Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) looks on against Team Finland in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/530152.webp "Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) looks on against Team Finland in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images")
![Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates with Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) his goal against Team Finland in the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/530107.webp "Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates with Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) his goal against Team Finland in the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images")
