MONTREAL — For Team USA, it was a poor start and a grand Finnish.
The Americans looked to be in trouble early, letting up the opening goal and allowing Finland control the tempo through two periods Thursday night.
In the end, it was less of an escape than it was Team USA putting its foot down in a 6-1 victory to open its 4 Nations Face-Off, boosted by a dominant third period from both Tkachuk brothers, Brady and Matthew.
6-1 win over Finland on Feb. 13, 2025. Getty Images
But it was not so simple, not so easy and not nearly as convincing as the final score suggested for the pre-tournament favorites.
This game hung in the balance until early in the third when Juuse Saros let in a pair of soft goals that allowed Team USA to turn it into a rout — and a regulation win that means volumes in this short format.
Still, the Americans had better hope their last 20 minutes are much more indicative of what they can do at this best-on-best stage than their first 40.
Head coach Mike Sullivan had gone to the line blender midway through this one, pairing up the Tkachuks on either side of Jack Eichel, switching up his defensive pairs and moving Kyle Connor to the third line with Matt Boldy and J.T. Miller.
After the U.S. struggled through the first 30 or so minutes, the moves finally started to get things going.
Even so, this was the most tenuous of leads. In the end, the new lines helped swing the game, as the lead got a lot more comfortable within 30 seconds of puck drop on the third period.
Fifteen seconds in, Matthew Tkachuk’s floater from above the left circle beat Saros clean for a power-play goal.
Eleven seconds after that, Jake Guentzel scored through the Finnish netminder’s five-hole, again with no traffic in front.
Brady Tkachuk got in on the action next, sliding in a backhand off Eichel’s feed for his second goal of the night, and Matthew got his second on the power play later in the period.
Before the Tkachuks took things into their hands, though, this teetered on disaster.
On Thursday morning, Sullivan was talking about being a team in the complete sense of the word.
Until the third period that night, his team looked like one in need of more practice time, misplacing passes and going offside like a group that hasn’t played with one another.
Hellebuyck stop Joel Armia’s shot for one of his 20 saves in Team USA’s win over Finland. AP
Of course, that’s just what they are. But so are the other three teams in this tournament.
Talent got Team USA over the edge in this one against a Finnish squad whose defense has been wracked by injuries and whose goaltending is now a concern.
But the competition is going to get tougher — and soon. With Team Canada and a hostile crowd waiting for them Saturday, they are going to need a lot more than this.
Canada-Sweden on Wednesday was all about skill, with the puck flying all over the place and mistakes at a minimum for both sides.
This was on the other end of the spectrum.
Finland’s physicality set the tempo, and the United States answered with the Brothers Tkachuk. Scoring chances were at a premium; scrums broke out with regularity.
That pace favored the Finns, but it was Team USA that took a 2-1 lead into the final 20 minutes after Boldy’s tip of Brock Faber’s shot with 2:56 to go in the second.
After boos accompanied the U.S. anthem, Finland’s Henri Jokiharju gave a decidedly pro-Suomi crowd something to cheer about by putting in Mikael Granlund’s feed off the rush 7:31 into the match.
Brady Tkachuk tied things at 1-1 for Team USA a few minutes later, jamming in a puck at the crease. But the tone had already been set.
It took until the third period to set things right.
They won’t get that long against Canada.
