Canada tops Finland to secure spot in 4 Nations Face-Off championship

After the second period, it looked like the Canadians were going to run away with the game; Finland coach Antti Pennanen pulled his goaltender Kevin Lankinen, swapping him for Juuse Saros, who started against the U.S. The move worked well for the Finns, as Saros stopped all 14 shots he faced.

After Esa Lindell cut the Canadian lead to 4-1 with a little under seven minutes to go, the Finns managed to score two goals, both by Mikael Granlund, with their goalie pulled and a six on five advantage.

However, it wasn't enough, as the Finns once again pulled their goalie after Granlund's second goal; soon after, Canada captain Sidney Crosby iced the game with an empty net goal.

The 5-3 victory eliminates both the Finns and the Swedes from the final and sets up a rematch between Canada and the U.S.

For the Canadians, coach Jon Cooper will now have plenty of decisions to make regarding his lineup Thursday night. Cooper decided to go with goaltender Jordan Binnington in net once again, despite many fans clamoring for Vegas' Adin Hill to play. Binnington was solid, allowing just one goal in 5v5 play prior to the two he allowed when Finland pulled their goalie.

For the skaters, Cooper swapped out forward Seth Jarvis for Travis Konecny in the lineup. He also switched up his forward lines, playing Mark Stone with McDavid and Brayden Point and Sam Reinhart with Crosby and MacKinnon. These moves paid off, as McDavid and Point each had a goal; MacKinnon chipped in two goals and Reinhart tallied three assists.

Defensively, Cale Makar, who was out Saturday with an illness, was back in the lineup, a huge boost to the Canadian blue line.

The U.S.-Canada final will be one of the biggest hockey games in recent memory; Canada showed that they are able to bounce back from a tough loss and make the necessary changes to their lineup to win.

The U.S. and Canada will play for the 4 Nations title Thursday night in Boston (8 p.m. EST, ESPN).