USA, Canada set to square off for women’s Olympic gold for sixth time

A lot has happened since the last Olympic final in women’s hockey. The world has changed – to a fairly dizzying degree over these last 1,456 days. We’ve all been forced into a new, ever-evolving normal.

There are few constants in life, except for maybe this matchup. And it does not disappoint.

For the sixth time in the seven Olympic Winter Games and for the fourth consecutive time, the United States will once again take on Canada in the gold-medal game on Wednesday night. It was inevitable, but its arrival is no less welcome.

When these two teams get together, it’s war.

The Americans went 20 years between gold medals, breaking the long drought in 2018 in a shootout. For Canada, gold medalists in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014, these four years have been long, being that close to Olympic glory once again only to have it come down to penalty shots.

The way Canada has played in these Olympics, it’s as if the disappointment of 2018 has been simmering beneath the surface for four years and they’ve been taking all of their frustration out on the competition. Canada has out-scored its opponents 54-8. Their 54 goals is an all-time record for a single team at the Olympics.

Four of those 54 came in a 4-2 win over the United States in the preliminary round. The Americans nearly doubled up Canada in shots on goal, directing 53 to the net, but Ann-Renée Desbiens was exceptional and Canada finished the chances they got.

But the page has been turned and when a gold medal is on the line, it feels like anything can happen, especially in this rivalry that has spent the last two decades with so little separating the two North American powers.

The last two gold-medal games went to overtime, with 2014 ending in the extra frame and 2018 ending in that epic shootout. If this year’s game is going to go the same way, the U.S. is going to have to dig deep to play their best game of the tournament because Canada has looked like a steamroller.

Let’s take a look at some of the key things to watch as we get set for the latest chapter of one of the greatest rivalries in sport:

Canada’s scoring depth has potential to overwhelm

If there is a gap between these two teams, it’s in the number of legitimate goal-scoring threats each team possesses. Canada has four lines that can score and they get a lot from their defenders, too. The Canadians are scoring on 17.4% of their shots on goal at this point.

Conversely, the U.S. has an 8.4 shooting percentage.

Canada has seven players with 10 or more points and eight players with four or more goals. Brianne Jenner has a staggering nine goals so far, which is tied for most ever by a player in a single tournament. Sarah Nurse’s 12 assists are tied with Hockey Hall of Famer Hayley Wickenheiser for the most in one tournament. Nurse needs just one point to tie Wickenheiser’s single-tournament scoring record of 17 points as well.

Also, Nurse, Marie-Philip Poulin and Natalie Spooner are all in the top-10 all-time for points per game in a tournament. One more point will move Poulin into sole possession of second place for all-time scoring at the Olympics. Wickenheiser has the record at 51 career points, while Poulin currently has 32.

This doesn’t even mention Sarah Fillier, who has been the breakout star of this Canadian team with eight goals in her first Olympic games.

It’s been incredible how good this Canadian team has looked, averaging nine goals per game. They have speed, precision passing, a lights-out power play that is clicking at 45.5 percent and talent all the way through the lineup.

It always comes down to goaltending

The U.S. has been shuffling its goalies pretty regularly, but it looks like the net belongs to Alex Cavallini now. Maddie Rooney got the preliminary-round game against Canada and has the experience of being a gold-medal-winning goaltender, but Cavallini has been sharper and got the nod for both elimination games after starting the opener against Finland in the preliminary round.

In three games, Cavallini has a .954 save percentage, allowing just two goals so far in the tournament. She was on the roster last time around but didn’t play despite being the most experienced goalie on the team at that point. She’s stuck it out and has been rewarded with the net. She is probably going to have to have the game of her life because there is no doubt Canada is going to get its looks. If Cavallini is on, she can be the difference in the game.

Oddly enough, the goaltender she is likely to oppose was her former tandem mate at the University of Wisconsin, Desbiens.

Desbiens had been an understudy to Shannon Szabados for long enough and it’s her time to shine now. The net has been hers without question throughout the tournament. Desbiens owns a .936 save percentage in four appearances. She has allowed just three even-strength goals.

Desbiens gave up a couple of uncharacteristic goals against Switzerland, but the overwhelming body of evidence in this tournament and beyond shows that she can be the difference in the big moments. Her 51-save performance against the U.S. in the preliminary round was just the most recent reminder.

Can USA’s veterans rally the troops for one more run?

Between the 2018 and 2022 Olympics, the U.S. lost several key players from the gold medal run to retirement. That opened the door for a lot of new faces and younger players, but the Americans continue to lean most heavily on their veterans.

Hilary Knight, who at 32, may be closing in on the twilight of an historic career that will see her set a new record for Olympic games played by an American woman as the gold-medal game will be her 22nd. She has nine points in the tournament and has continued to be an offensive leader.

Kendall Coyne Schofield has had flashes of brilliance in the tournament with her famous speed and has six points in her third Olympics. Lee Stecklein has been the stalwart defender who had to be talked out of retirement for one more ride. She’s played 26 or more minutes in each of the elimination games on the back end. While Alex Carpenter, who had to shake off the sting of being cut in 2018 to return for her second Olympics in 2022, has been one of the most consistent offensive performers for the Americans in this tournament to date with four goals and six points.

The Americans definitely miss the on-ice presence of Brianna Decker, who was injured in the first game. She’s remained in Beijing to aid the coaching staff and be there to support her teammates, but her absence has loomed large.

There’s a good chance a number of these American women are playing in their final Olympics. They’ll have the opportunity to do something that’s never been accomplished before by American hockey players of any gender – win consecutive gold medals at the Olympics.

And if this is the last run for some of USA’s most notable players of the last decade-plus, the finality of ones career can create the desperation that sometimes comes in handy when digging for that extra little bit to try and go out on top.

Final thoughts

There is no greater spectacle for the women’s game. No matter which team wins, we’re destined for a hard-fought, intense, passionate battle. Every four years, this is the night to be placed on the highest pedestal in sport and that has brought out the absolute best in both teams historically.

This one means even more because the pandemic years have disproportionately impacted women’s hockey and its individual players. They had one world championship canceled and another significantly delayed into last summer. Both national teams had shortened pre-Olympic tours as well. Nothing about this last Olympic cycle has been normal, but the end goal remains the same.

Canada has a decisive edge on paper. They’re the defending World Champions and have all the momentum going into the final. The Americans, however, have proven time over time that they won’t go away quietly.

The last four years have built up to this moment. If this game is anything like the last three finals between these two sides, buckle up.