"It seems far from over": Connor McDavid issues optimistic statement about Team Canada's 4 Nations championship hopes despite 3-1 loss to Team USA

Connor McDavid is still hopeful about Team Canada’s chances despite a 3-1 loss to Team USA on Saturday at Bell Center. The game was very physical from the start. There were three fights in the first nine seconds. Matthew Tkachuk fought Brandon Hagel, Brady Tkachuk took on Sam Bennett and J.T. Miller fought Colton Parayko. The crowd was loud, and the players were emotional.

When questioned, about the tree plays early in the game, McDavid made it clear that there was no planning behind it.

"Not on our side, no," McDavid said. "We wanted to get off to a good start, get the fans into it. Um, pretty proud of all three of those guys to step up and do that."

Despite Team Canada's loss, McDavid said the team played hard and the tournament is not over yet. When asked by the reporters to rank the game, McDavid said,

"Yeah, really high. Obviously, you know, as I said the other night, there are a lot of great players out there. It was fast, tight checking, competitive, emotional... it had everything that you would want in a hockey game. I thought, as I said, it sucks that it didn't go our way, but it seems far from over."

Canada still has a chance to make the final. If they win in regulation against Finland on Monday, they will qualify. McDavid and his teammates know they need to play better and take advantage of their chances.

Connor McDavid gave Canada an early lead but failed to win the game

Connor McDavid scored Canada’s only goal at 5:31 of the first period. He got a pass from Drew Doughty, skated through the neutral zone, and used his backhand to beat Connor Hellebuyck. The crowd was excited, but the lead did not last long.

Five minutes later, Jake Guentzel scored for the U.S. His low shot from the left circle went under Jordan Binnington’s pad. This came right after Charlie McAvoy hit McDavid hard along the boards.

Dylan Larkin made it 2-1 for the U.S. at 13:33 of the second period. He carried the puck on a 2-on-1 rush and shot it past Binnington’s blocker. In the third period, Canada had the puck a lot but could not break through the U.S. defense. The Americans blocked shots and disrupted plays. With 1:19 left, Guentzel scored an empty-net goal to secure the win.

The 4 Nations Face-Off is not over, and Team Canada and Connor McDavid are still fighting for the championship.