Canada Player Ratings: Hagel, Bennett shine with superstars held at bay

It started with fireworks, a flurry of fists, helmets and gloves strewn all over the ice. Six minutes into this one, it seemed to have the makings of a Canadian classic — three brawls and a Connor McDavid beauty, in front of a spirited Montreal crowd, to set up a win for the ages.

And then it all fell apart.

The Americans’ own high-flyers potted a pair, the U.S. blue-liners methodically nullified an all-world attack led by McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby, and the hosts finished the night staring down what’s now a must-win game against Finland.

There are sure to be changes to Canada’s lineup, with forward combinations primed for some shuffling and the return of defender Cale Makar desperately needed. But before we get there, here’s a look at how each member of the red-and-white fared in Saturday night’s stumble.

Nathan MacKinnon: 6 / 10
Across the board, Canada’s best were largely stymied by the Americans’ stiff defence. MacKinnon had his moments, galloping through the neutral zone with speed in the manner we’ve so often seen precede highlight-reel finishes. But the final piece of the sequence wasn’t there on this night. He finished the game with a single shot on net, and few legitimately dangerous chances generated, leaving head coach Jon Cooper with the task of finding the right linemates to let No. 29 fully get to his game.

Sidney Crosby: 6 / 10
From the opening puck drop, the Americans went hard at the Canadian captain. No stranger to playing through heavy contact, Crosby did manage to link plays together here and there, and create some looks for his linemates — overall, though, it was a quiet night for No. 87, with Team USA’s stingy defence able to shut down every promising look the captain tried to set in motion. A hooking penalty that sent the Americans to a power play soon after they’d tied it up — albeit to disrupt an odd-man rush — didn’t help his night either.

Mark Stone: 6 / 10
Given the complexion of the trio he’s a part of, Stone’s game figures to go much the way Crosby and MacKinnon’s does. With those two playmaking engines held at bay by the Americans’ clinical defence, the Vegas Golden Knights veteran was stymied, too. He did have some looks, tying for the team lead in shots with three on the night, but similarly wasn’t able to cause Connor Hellebuyck too much trouble.

Sam Reinhart: 5 / 10
The highest Canadian goal-scorer this season — on this roster, at least — Reinhart’s had a quiet tournament to this point. The Florida Panthers sniper was especially quiet in this one, finishing as one of three Canadian forwards without a shot on net despite skating alongside the squad’s best facilitators all game. He also wound up on the wrong side of the Americans’ first goal, covering defensively for an out-of-position Devon Toews and ultimately watching Jake Guentzel walk by him and fire one past Jordan Binnington. A move down the lineup may be coming next time out.

Connor McDavid: 8 / 10
The quick-footed phenom earned Canada’s only goal of the game on a fantastic play early in the first period, collecting the puck in the neutral zone and coming up with a trademark sprint into the offensive zone, dancing past a defender, before faking a cut inside and roofing it off his backhand. It seemed an important tally at the time, with the tension incredibly high to start the tilt and the crowd exploding when McDavid fluttered the twine. But like the Canadians’ other superstars, No. 97 was held at bay from that point on, able to generate little for the rest of the evening, even as he weaved through traffic and around defenders in the offensive zone. He had his looks, and was the only one in a red jersey to come up with a goal Saturday night, but some shuffling may be needed to find the linemates who allow him to be at his best.

Mitch Marner: 6 / 10
Canada’s overtime hero logged the second-most ice of any forward for the red-and-white in this one, and overall looked fine. There were some quality shifts in the offensive zone, a good look of his own here and there, some good defensive play. But overall, like the rest of the top six, the Toronto Maple Leafs winger was unable to break through and come up with the moment of magic his side desperately needed on this night.

Brandon Hagel: 8 / 10
Starting the night by answering the bell against Matthew Tkachuk — who has an easy 20 pounds on his Florida rival — Hagel was one of the few constants for Canada all game long. The Lightning winger forechecked hard, won races, dug in and battled hard along the boards, and did what he could to cause chaos in the Americans’ zone. The majority of Canada’s best offensive-zone shifts seemed to be from its all-Lightning line, and Hagel’s straightforward approach was key to that minor success.

Anthony Cirelli: 7 / 10
Like his Bolts counterparts, Cirelli did a good job of trying to help Canada build some momentum in the offensive zone, particularly as the game wore on and that space to generate got even harder to find. He came up with a number of solid defensive plays too, helping to keep the Americans off the board on their one man-advantage opportunity. And perhaps most importantly, he answered the Americans’ physicality by throwing his body around, finishing with a team-high five hits on the night.

Brayden Point: 6 / 10
Much of the success of Canada’s Bolts line falls on Point’s shoulders, and the crafty centreman showed his skill at multiple points in this one, at times seeming to be the only one in a red jersey who could break through the U.S.’s blue-line wall. His cerebral play earned him a spell with MacKinnon and Crosby late in the game, and there may be something to moving Point up in the lineup next time out.

Brad Marchand: 6 / 10
The veteran Boston Bruins captain finished the game with the second-fewest minutes of any Canadian forward, earning fewer than nine in this one. Even so, he put together a few good rushes and created a few chances out of nothing by finding open space and throwing pucks on net in pursuit of rebound chaos. On a night like this one, where a late tying goal seemed like it needed to be pulled out of the mud, some more minutes for No. 63 could’ve benefited the home side. 

Sam Bennett: 8 / 10
It didn’t take long for Bennett to make clear why exactly he was thrown into the lineup for this Saturday night battle. Fresh off Hagel dropping the gloves with Matthew Tkachuk, Bennett stepped up to take on brother Brady in a bout featuring an even greater weight-class disparity — 32 pounds in favour of the American. After holding his own there, Bennett kept stepping up all night long, coming up with more than a few momentum-salvaging hits in the offensive-zone. He managed to tie for the team lead with three shots to go along with that physicality, and came up with some key plays on the backcheck to disrupt American chances, too — all in seven-and-a-half minutes of ice.

Seth Jarvis: 6 / 10
The young Carolina Hurricanes talent didn’t get much opportunity to show his level in this one, similarly finishing among the least-used forwards on the night. Even so, he managed a few nice sequences, taking contact and digging in along the boards more than a few times to create space for linemates hunting an offensive spark.

Devon Toews: 6 / 10
Forced to play without his usual blue-line partner — with Makar forced out of the lineup by illness — Toews was largely steady on the night. That said, the veteran did have a rough start, and came up with a couple costly errors early. He got caught pinching on the Americans’ first goal of the game, forcing Reinhart back into a defensive position easily exploited by Jack Eichel and Jake Guentzel en route to the first U.S. tally, and another ill-timed pinch wound up in a two-on-one that ended with Crosby in the box for hooking. Overall, a forgettable one for the Colorado Avalanche stalwart.

Travis Sanheim: 6 / 10
Thrown into the mix as a replacement for the injured Shea Theodore, it was always going to be a tall task for Sanheim, stepping into this team for a game as tense and hard-fought as this. He took a straightforward approach for the most part, and did well in getting acclimated to his new blue-line partner. Sanheim did get beat on the eventual game winner from the Americans, but was left out to dry by a bad change that gifted Dylan Larkin and J.T. Miller a two-on-one finished off by the Detroit Red Wings captain.

Josh Morrissey: 7 / 10
With Makar sidelined, much was placed on Morrissey’s shoulders, and the talented Winnipeg Jets blue-liner largely did a good job of carrying that offensive load for Canada’s defence corps. He had his moments on both ends of the sheet, making smart reads throughout the night, and he showed his quality with a dash up ice that drew a tripping call and sent Canada’s star-studded power play over the boards. Morrissey did what he could to quarterback that man-advantage unit and facilitate for Canada’s big dogs too, but in the end was similarly held at bay by the stiff U.S. defence.

Colton Parayko: 6 / 10
The big-bodied blue-liner was the third Canadian participant in the wildest start to an international game in recent memory, dropping the gloves with Miller early and getting the crowd on its feet once again. He had some good moments in both ends of the rink throughout the night as well — but he also stumbled repeatedly in crunch time, coming up with a number of risky defensive-zone plays in the third period, forcing Binnington into some timely saves when the game was still up for grabs.

Thomas Harley: 6 / 10
Even more so than Sanheim, Harley was all but thrown into the fire in this one, added to the lineup last minute due to Makar’s absence, without so much as a full practice with this squad. He showed glimpses of quality throughout the night, particularly on the offensive side, as he found himself at the netfront fighting for rebounds on more than one occasion. That said, on the other side, Harley factored into both goals the Americans scored on Binnington — namely the eventual game winner, which saw Harley coast to the bench as the Americans set off towards Canada’s net, leaving Sanheim to deal with the odd-man rush.

Drew Doughty: 8 / 10
The veteran has turned back the clock with his return to the national side, and was solid for the red-and-white once again Saturday night, despite the final result. Doughty’s most consequential moment came early, when he hit McDavid with a perfect pass through the neutral zone that sprung the Edmonton Oilers pivot on to snag Canada’s only goal. Aside from the setup, the veteran looked solid throughout the night, though, and wound up a much-needed steady presence for a defence corps that’s had to be massively revamped on the fly.

Jordan Binnington: 6 / 10
Binnington’s night went much the same way his performance against Sweden did. The first goal was one he’d likely want back. And after that, the St. Louis Blues netminder seemed to respond and raise his level — the Larkin goal was a tougher one to handle, and his blue-liners did little to help him out on that occasion. He was hardly exceptional, but Binnington seemed to give his club enough of a chance to pull level over the latter half of the night, when it was still a one-goal game. Canada’s loss here seems more a matter of failing to generate offensively than looking porous on the other end of the sheet.

More from Sportsnet

Why Canada, USA fought three times in first nine seconds of 4 Nations Face-Off game

‘Everything is happening’: Fans react after Hagel answers Tkachuk’s call to fight