Team USA and Canada to meet in 4 Nations Face-Off finale

The GIST: Drop the gloves because Team Canada and Team USA meet for the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET, a highly anticipated rematch of their feisty round robin tilt.

• As a refresher, the victor earns bragging rights as winner of the NHL’s inaugural 4 Nations tourney (a replacement for the league’s All-Star break), but the stakes are ultra-high in this storied hockey rivalry. No wonder ticket prices are soaring — it doesn’t get better than this.

🇨🇦 Canada seeking revenge behind Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid: After suffering their only loss of round robin play to the U.S. — a 3–1 Saturday night L — the Red and White bounced back on Monday, beating Finland 5–3 to clinch their spot in tomorrow’s title game.

• Fittingly, it was two of the game’s best who sealed the deal: McDavid opened the scoring early in the first period before leading tournament scorer Crosby iced the win with an empty-net goal.

• Saturday’s defeat notably marked the end of Sid the Kid’s 15-year, 26-game win streak against the U.S. — only time will tell if revenge is indeed a dish best served cold.

🇺🇲 Lingering injuries raise concerns for the U.S.: With their championship ticket already booked, several players sat out of Monday’s 2–1 round robin finale loss to Sweden. Lucky for red, white, and blue fans, the Tkachuk (pronounced kuh-CHUCK) brothers — Matthew and Brady — are both expected to play (and certainly ready to fight) despite their respective injuries.

• But the stars and stripes will be without a key defender. Charlie McAvoy will miss the tilt due to an upper body injury sustained in round robin action, meaning the Boston Bruin will sadly miss the chance to play on his home ice at Boston’s TD Garden.

• Can the U.S. overcome the injury bug? Or will Canada avenge their Saturday loss when it matters most? We — along with 4.4M+ viewers — can’t wait to find out.