Before the Olympics began, I picked Canada to win gold. Now, they’re in the gold medal game against the United States, and the only teams they’ve dominated were the ones they beat in the preliminary round.
It’s been a hard road in the knockout round for Canada, and losing Sidney Crosby for at least the semifinals with an injury he suffered at the hands of Radko Gudas in the quarterfinal overtime win against Czechia didn’t exactly expose any apparent weaknesses with them. Instead, coach Jon Cooper rolled out a Voltron-like line with Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Macklin Celebrini to tilt the ice in a comical way against Finland.
Don’t let Canada’s seemingly less-than-impressive wins on the way to the gold medal game fool you: They’re still great, they’re still dominating possession and shots, and they’re still winning games even though they’ve been murder on the nerves of Canada’s fans.
We know how dicey things can be with Jordan Binnington, but he continues to win and keeps making the saves needed to help them come back from deficits, and now they’re winning games. That’s hardened testing in this tournament, and it’s the kind of thing Team USA hasn’t faced up to yet. That kind of testing produces resolve, and that’s why Canada will win gold again.
Prediction: Canada 4, USA 2