The 4 Nations Face-Off is a tournament the NHL should've signed up for a long time ago. The teams are comprised of top-level talent and, frankly, has offered up better hockey than we typically see in the National Hockey League.
Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid headline the Canadian team. I mean, how could they not? Individually, they are the two most talented players of their respective generations. As for the Americans, there is a good argument to be made that this is the best Team USA we've seen in decades. As much as I'd love to appreciate Gary Bettman and the NHL for allowing their best players to participate in the international format, I can't help but wonder why that wasn't always the case. But, I digress.
Canada and the USA faced off on Thursday night (pun definitely intended). The game was tied entering the third period, which left fans of both countries what exactly would happen if this evenly-matched affair went to overtime.
4 Nations Face-Off overtime rules: What happens if Canada vs USA final is tied after three periods?
The answer to that question isn't all that complicated. While overtime in the group stage was decided by a 3-on-3 style, similar to the NHL's format, the final is a bit different. In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the NHL pivots to 5-on-5 overtime. There is no point in allowing a gimmick to decide a champion, the league would never hear the end of it.
Much like the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the 4 Nations Face-Off delivers. If the game were to head to overtime – that is tied after three periods, of course – the result would not be decided by 3-on-3 overtime but rather 5-on-5, which is how the hockey gods intended. Both of these squads are arranged to dominate 5-on-5 action – the lines are truly loaded from top to bottom. However, Canada and the United States are so even the ice is hardly tilted, even when McDavid, Crosby or Dylan Larkin take the ice.
I am not here to root for overtime, per say, but wouldn't it be splendid to get another version of Crosby's 'golden goal' regardless of who scores?
Were the to be the case, the first score would win. I don't have any further anaylsis to give. No matter how long it takes, the winning nation will eventually have to beat the opposing goalie. It can take all night for all I care.
How many overtimes are there in the NHL and 4 Nations Face-Off?
For those of us hoping for a quick ending, I have some bad news – this game could go all night long, in theory. There is no limit to the number of overtime in the NHL, and the same can be said about the 4 Nations Face-Off. The tournament mimmicks the NHL rules, which means we get 5-on-5 overtime for as long as it freaking takes. The tournament final could end in the first minute, or in the fifth overtime. I don't have any answers for you. This is how hockey was meant to be played, and big games decided – at full strength until one team, finally, cedes.
What's the longest NHL game ever?
The longest NHL games ever went six overtimes. Yes, that game lasted over 176 minutes of real time hockey. We can only hope the 4 Nations Face-Off Final doesn't touch that record, but the overtime rules are the same, as previously mentioned. That game took place in 1936 between the Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Maroons.