3 takeaways after Canada rallies to beat Finland, advances to play for gold
Canada is off to the men's hockey gold-medal game after defeating Finland on Friday in a compelling, come-from-behind 3-2 victory in Milan. Here are our biggest takeaways from what turned out to be a thrilling semifinal showdown.
Canada rewarded for trusting process
Finland executed a nearly flawless game plan for an underdog playing in a do-or-die game, dictating the style of play from puck drop to the final buzzer.
The Finns forced Canada to consistently dump the puck in by holding firm at the defensive blue line. They insulated goalie Juuse Saros - who was terrific in a 36-save loss - by packing bodies and sticks into every conceivable passing and shooting lane. Saros didn't spit out many rebounds, and the ones he did were quickly cleared by a defender. The Finns won a discorporate number of key faceoffs and puck battles all over the ice, especially early on.
But the Canadians, led by a supercharged top line of Connor McDavid, Macklin Celebrini, and Nathan MacKinnon, kept pressing, fighting through the muck created by Finland, and pushing on the defensive wall. Late in the second period, they finally capitalized on the power play, bringing the score to 2-1 in an extremely tense battle.
Sam Reinhart, one of the six original players named to Team Canada, was credited with the goal, which was rather fitting. Arguably Canada's most disappointing player in Italy until that moment, Reinhart needed that tip-in as much as Canada's bench and the country's stressed fans needed it.
The same pace-pushing mentality continued ahead of the equalizer by Shea Theodore midway through the third period and through the eventual game-winner from MacKinnon with 35 seconds remaining. Canada didn't let up all game despite the Finns' annoyingly consistent stinginess.
Jon Cooper's team trusted the process, and it ultimately paid off.
MacKinnon's first signature moment
Captain Sidney Crosby missed Friday's game due to injury, leaving leadership and production voids. Enter MacKinnon, a fellow native of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia and, at 30 years old, the odds-on favorite to win the 2026 Hart Trophy.
Make no mistake: MacKinnon didn't have an exceptional game overall. However, the Avalanche superstar executed in the clutch by drawing a penalty and then beating Saros with a choppy one-timer. It was the first signature Olympic moment for the consensus No. 2 player in the world. Better late than never, eh?
Whether an injury is holding MacKinnon back, or he can't get into a proper groove for other reasons, No. 29's had a relatively underwhelming first Winter Games. The fact that he hasn't been centering his own line for the bulk of the tournament says a lot about how he and other Canadian forwards have looked shift to shift.
The elite of the elite find a way to contribute in defining moments. Canadians hope the winner versus Finland isn't MacKinnon's final legacy-building play in Milan.
Cooper adjusts, rewards right players
Celebrini was the best player on the ice Friday. In fact, for about half the game, he was the only Canadian infiltrating Finland's structure and firing slot shots on net.
The 19-year-old with ice in his veins finished with a game-high nine scoring chances, according to data tracked by hockey analyst Dimitri Filipovic, while assisting on the game-winner. Cooper rode Celebrini, the feel-good story of the tournament, to a team-high 25:53.
Celebrini, McDavid, and MacKinnon were rightfully tossed over the boards for the vast majority of Canada's offensive zone faceoffs. Early on, Theodore and Travis Sanheim shared the ice with the McDavid line in those situations, which came back to haunt Canada, as Sanheim - who's by no means a triggerman - failed to convert multiple grade-A opportunities.
Cooper adjusted his deployment as the game progressed, with top-pair blue-liners Cale Makar and Devon Toews linking up with the McDavid line in high-leverage moments. The result: McDavid and Makar also played 25-plus minutes, MacKinnon logged 21:52, and Toews skated for 22:14. The sixth Canadian to hit 20 minutes? Young defenseman Thomas Harley, who helped power the transition game, at 20:44.
Shortening the bench with such game-breaking talent available seems like a no-brainer. But a coach will often begin double-shifting his top performers only when it's too late.
I also liked how Cooper trusted the Brad Marchand-Sam Bennett-Tom Wilson line on defensive zone draws. That line didn't play a ton overall, but when it did, the Canadians matched the Finns' physicality, and the puck tended to move in the right direction - away from goalie Jordan Binnington.
Speaking of Binnington: The Blues netminder once again looked shaky at times and once again emerged victorious in the end.
That type of lopsided game - Canada outshot Finland 39-17 - can be a grind for the underworked, cold goalie. Binnington, who allowed a power-play goal and a shorthanded goal, made just enough big saves to keep the game within reach for his superstar teammates.
John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter/X (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email ([email protected]).