The battle in Montreal saw both clubs fight three times in the opening nine seconds.
It was an emotional night in Montreal. From the Canadian crowd booing the American anthem to a series of three fights in the opening nine seconds of the match, the first best-on-best hockey competition between Canada and the United States of America since 2016 lived up to the billing.
After the game, USA and Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews talked about the 3-1 victory that secured his team a berth into the 4 Nations Face-Off final, the atmosphere, and their desire to win the tournament.
Q: What did you make of the fights?
"Kudos to both sides, suaring off like that, but just the atmosphere and everything tonight was pretty incredible. Big win for us."
Q: Any sense that that's the way the game had started? Matthew, say anything? And how did it kind of go from there?
"I mean, you had a sense that, you know, definitely wanted to come out and send a message right away. And, I mean, those three guys stepping up like that, I mean, those guys are as hard as it gets when it comes to just playing the game hard and with an edge. And, you know, just to get the game started like that, I thought it gave our energy, our bench a lot of energy, a lot of life. We just went from there."
Q: Auston, what does it mean to come here to Montreal, win two games, be Canada on their home ice, and clinch a spot in the final?
"Yeah, it means a lot, but, I mean, we haven't done anything yet. Two games in, obviously two big wins, but, you know, we've got a lot of work to do. We've got another big game here coming Monday against Sweden, and, you know, we've got to regroup."
Q: What was it like to play in a game like that?
It was pretty electric. I mean, it was probably one of the best atmospheres I've been a part of. So, you know, a lot of fun. It feels a lot better when you come out with the win, but, you know, just from the start, the drop of the puck, I mean, it was electric in here.
Q: What do you think the message you guys sent early on to the crowd, to the Canadian team, you know, as a whole?
"I mean, I think that, you know, we're here. We're here to compete. We're here to win. You know, we want to win this thing. That's about it. That's the bottom line is we're here to win."
Q: What is it about the villain role that seems to bring out the best in a lot of you guys?
"I mean, I think just rising to the occasion of that, you know, feeding off the crowd. I mean, I don't think any guys in this building or in this room are, you know, strangers to getting booed, strangers to, you know, taking a lot of heat out there. It is what it is. We just go out there and compete and try to set the tone with our play."
Q: What did you guys do well that locked things down, down the stretch in this game?
I thought we just checked hard. Obviously, goaltending was great tonight.I mean, Buck's (Connor Hellebuyck) been unbelievable. Both games for us, making big key saves at the right times. And, you know, you're facing that amount of speed and skill. I mean, just trying to check as hard as you can and stay in front of guys. And I thought we did a good job of that, playing physical as well.
Q:It felt like you were out there a lot with Mitch (Marner) tonight. Like, what was that dynamic like seeing him on the other side going head-to-head with him tonight?
"Yeah, I mean, it's strange at times. But, you know, just out there focused on my game, focused on our team, and trying to, you know, make things happen out there."
Q: What stands out to you about how (Jake) Guentzel is playing here?
"He's been great. I mean, he's, I think he just, he flies under the radar. He makes so many great little plays. He seems to always be in the right spot. And obviously, big goals in both games that we played."
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