4 Nations Face-Off final: Who wins U.S.-Canada Round 2? - ESPN

The 4 Nations Face-Off final is set. A 5-3 win for Canada in Monday's game against Finland has pushed it through to the championship game, where it will face the United States. The U.S. clinched its spot in the final with a 3-1 win over Canada on Saturday.

If the return match between the two North American rivals is anything like the first one, hockey fans are in for another treat. That game — which featured three fights in the first nine seconds of play — was heralded by many players as one of the most intense games in which they'd played in their careers.

With the teams set for the final game of the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off (Thursday 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+/Disney+), let's explore the players who have been most important to each squad, the X factors for Thursday's game, and just how confident each nation should be in its goaltender.

What we've learned so far

All the conversations about what this version of Team USA could achieve has manifested itself in a few ways. Against Finland, the U.S. looked the part of a team that was comfortable playing in a tight-checking game — only to provide the sort of offensive surge with three goals on its first four shots to start the third period.

The performance against Canada further amplified how the squad could rely on its collective talent, capitalizing on mistakes while having the flexibility to withstand a late push.

Team MVP through round robin

Jaccob Slavin. Saying «a Tkachuk» would have made sense, considering Brady and Matthew combined to score four of nine goals for the U.S. through its first two games. And while the brothers' exploits have received quite a bit of attention, there's an argument to be made for the role Slavin has played in the success of the team —