Milan, Italy- Western Hockey League alumni came in clutch as Canada scored three unanswered goals to down Finland 3-2 in their Olympic semifinal matchup on Friday.
It took a clutch powerplay goal from Memorial Cup champion Nathan MacKinnon with 36 seconds left to send the team to the gold medal game.
Canada has now pulled off comeback wins in two consecutive matchups with Friday’s victory and Wednesday’s 4-3 overtime triumph against Czechia.
But they also had to do it without the services of Captain and two-time Olympic gold medalist Sidney Crosby, who left the quarterfinal game with a lower-body injury.
Special teams played a crucial role in the showdown, as MacKinnon’s former Colorado Avalanche teammate Mikko Rantanen struck late in the first period with a powerplay tally.
The deficit climbed in the middle frame as Erik Haula blew down the ice to bury a shorthanded breakaway goal.
Just over a minute after Haula made it 2-0, 2014 WHL Player of the Year Sam Reinhart (Kootenay ICE) sparked the comeback as he tipped a point shot from Cale Makar.
Reinhart’s long resume includes a 2011 WHL Championship, Rookie of the Year honours (2011) and Most Sportsmanlike Player (2014), in addition to a World Juniors gold medal.
https://twitter.com/HockeyCanada/status/2024892481004061169
The goal also saw the two-time Stanley Cup champion link up with a former rival, with temporary captain and 2015 CHL Player of the Year Connor McDavid earning the secondary assist on the play.
The duo has clashed in the last two Stanley Cup Finals between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers.
McDavid’s helper also stands as his 12th point of the tournament, setting a new record for most points in a single Olympic Games by an NHL skater.
That set up a fiery third period with Canada trailing 2-1.
Former Seattle Thunderbirds captain Shea Theodore brought the crowd to its feet with under 10 minutes to play with a thunderous one-timer through traffic.
The 2015 WHL Defenceman of the Year notched the only even-strength goal of the game, with former Calgary Hitmen rearguard Travis Sanheim snagging the primary assist.
https://twitter.com/HockeyCanada/status/2024904183250649131
MacKinnon called game with a powerplay one-timer from below the faceoff dot as overtime loomed.
https://twitter.com/HockeyCanada/status/2024910994380873981
Portland Winterhawks graduate Henri Jokiharju will play for bronze with the Finns.
Canada now awaits the winner of the United States/Slovakia showdown, which is set for 1:10 p.m. MST on Friday.
The gold medal game is set for Sunday, February 22, at 6:10 a.m. MST.
