Brad Marchand makes his thoughts extremely clear about the current iteration of Team USA

It will be another high-stakes showdown between Team USA and Team Canada on Thursday night at Boston's TD Garden, as the historic rivals battle for the Four Nations Face-Off tournament title.

Team USA already defeated Canada once in the tournament, earning a 3-1 victory in Montreal in a heated matchup that featured multiple fights within the opening seconds of the first period.

Ahead of the game, Team Canada forward Brad Marchand, who will be playing in the venue he calls home as captain of the Boston Bruins, said the current Team USA is the best team he has ever faced.

“They're by far the best team I've ever played," he said. "No disrespect to the previous teams, but the way the game has evolved the past 10 years, some of the players on their team will be some of the best players to ever play the game of hockey.”

“They embody a team that competes at the highest level. They have everything. They check well, they play physical, they have incredible talent, the defencemen on their team can all skate, they’re all good size, and their goaltending is also incredible."

While the two nations will remain historic rivals regardless of the outcome Thursday night, Team USA has captured Canada’s attention — not only with its win last Saturday but also with its overall talent.

"So, they don’t have any weaknesses. Just their skill level is incredible to watch. You look at them and you look at that team and there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s definitely the best that I’ve seen, really that I think I’ve ever played against.”

Brad Marchand isn't used to being a visitor at TD Garden

Brad Marchand, who calls TD Garden home as the captain of the Boston Bruins, wasn’t accustomed to walking down the visitor's tunnel toward the locker room.

“Different,” Marchand said about coming out of the visitor’s tunnel. “Once you get out there (on the ice), you kind of get lost and not too worried about it. It was more in the room pregame. I didn’t really know where I was going. I couldn’t find anything. But that’s part of the experience.”

“It’s going to be exciting,” Marchand continued. “The fans here love the game, and they’re going to be very excited. They’re very energized, bringing tons of emotion. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Once the tournament is over, Marchand will return to the Bruins and attempt to help them avoid a late-season collapse.