Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond’s meeting in the Four Nations Face-Off was a bit anticlimactic.
Team USA rested several players after Canada’s win over Finland ensured that there would be a USA-Canada final on Thursday, and Sweden earned a measure of redemption going into their last game of the tournament by winning a 2-1 decision on Monday night.
Raymond finished at -1 in 18:37 played, with 2 shot attempts, for Sweden; Larkin finished even in 16:27 played, taking 2 shots, 4 total shot attempts, with 2 hits, 2 giveaways and a 3-and-4 (43%) faceoff record.
The Swedes will disperse to their NHL teams now; the Americans will prepare for the Four Nations Face-Off final vs. Canada on Thursday.
From MassLive’s Lauren Campbell:
Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin, who logged 16:27 of ice time in USA’s loss, is excited about the potential of winning a championship game.
“I was saying to my wife, ‘it’s been a long time since I’ve won something,‘” Larkin said. “I know there’s other guys in here in the same boat. There’s a lot on the line.”
Also from Larkin, from the AP:
Canada watched its four-goal lead cut to one in the final minutes but pulled out a victory over Finland earlier Monday to grab the other spot in the title game. That clinched the rematch of the fight-filled round-robin matchup from Saturday.
“They’re gonna be extremely hungry. They don’t want to lose two to us,” American forward Dylan Larkin said. “I think there’ll be some nerves, but I hope it’s that level that it was in Montreal.”
