On Saturday night, Bell Centre hosted a memorable international game played between North American rivals, USA and Canada up in Montreal. What took place at the start was quite memorable.

In what was pre-planned, Matthew Tkachuk took on Brandon Hagel two seconds into the game. With an energized capacity crowd of 21,005 still going crazy, Brady Tkachuk and Sam Bennett squared off a second later in an entertaining bout that was the best of three tilts that took place. Following a Charlie McAvoy shot right on Canadian starter Jordan Binnington, the pleasantries continued when J.T. Miller battled Colton Parayko just six seconds later.

The three bouts highlighted the intense rivalry between USA and Canada. In those first nine seconds, hockey fans got exactly what they wanted to see. As has been the case recently due to the heated political distractions between the two countries, Canadian fans booed the American national anthem. When he was asked about the boos after their first win over Finland in the 4 Nations Face-Off, Matthew Tkachuk said he didn’t like it. Instead of crying over it, he decided to ask Hagel if he would go before the game. Younger brother Brady knew he and Bennett would then battle. When he joined Matthew in the box, he got his older brother’s approval.

Although Connor McDavid would later dust McAvoy to score a highlight reel goal that put Canada ahead just over five and a half minutes in, the tone was set for the big game. As is customary, McDavid can make defensemen look ordinary when he gains a full head of steam in transition. On what was a spectacular rush that started with a good Drew Doughty outlet, he went around McAvoy and beat Connor Hellebuyck with a backhand upstairs before celebrating with as much as enthusiasm as one would expect.

It was a quick start for Canada, but what followed was a friendly reminder that their archrival wasn’t backing down. To demonstrate how much raw emotion was in the match, McAvoy leveled McDavid with a clean hit against the boards that drew oohs and ahhs from the crowd.

What followed was USA responding by tying the game on a quick goal in transition from Jake Guentzel with 9:45 remaining. After taking a Brock Faber outlet, Jack Eichel gained the Canadian zone and fed Guentzel for a wrist shot that snuck through Binnington from a bad angle. Whatever momentum Canada had early was gone completely.

On the next shift, Brady Tkachuk delivered a thumping hit on Doughty that jarred the glass. The Senators captain hits hard and makes an impact. By far the toughest of the Tkachuk family, including Dad Keith, Brady is a menace to play against for opponents. If he can lead Ottawa to the playoffs, expect him to make some noise in the first round. He’s the premier power forward in the game. While Matthew remains the more proven player, he doesn’t have Brady’s snarl.

Since USA head coach Mike Sullivan put them on the same line with Eichel, they’ve been unstoppable. In the 6-1 victory over Finland last Thursday, they combined for seven points with the Tkachuk brothers each getting a pair of goals.

If there was a contrast between the teams, it was USA’s ability to contain Canada’s offense. The Canadians had trouble establishing a consistent forecheck without top defenseman Cale Makar, who missed the game with an illness. Already down Shea Theodore, who is expected to be out until the spring after suffering an upper-body injury in Canada’s 4-3 overtime win over Sweden, it wasn’t as easy to keep plays alive in the offensive zone.

While they still had Josh Morrissey, Devon Toews, and Thomas Harley who filled in, there wasn’t as much sustained pressure. An American defense led by Jaccob Slavin, McAvoy and Noah Hanifin took away time and space from McDavid, Sidney Crosby, and Nathan MacKinnon. The forwards also did their part to make it difficult on a Canadian offense that also included Mitch Marner, Mark Stone, Sam Reinhart, and Brayden Point.

On the flip side, USA applied more pressure as the game moved along. Binnington came up with some key stops to keep the game tied in the second period. When it looked like Canada finally had the momentum due to a strong shift from the McDavid line, an uncharacteristic turnover from Crosby led to Dylan Larkin getting the game-winner with 6:27 remaining.

On a Canadian reentry, Crosby forced a pass in the middle of the ice that was intercepted by Matt Boldy. He then sent Dylan Larkin on a two-on-one rush in the opposite direction. With the pass being taken away, Larkin took the shot and beat Binnington high for his first of the tournament. That quieted the Canadian contingent.

With the play exclusively at five-on-five for the final 40 minutes, USA opted to tighten up the neutral zone to slow down their dangerous opponents. Even when they got shots through, Hellebuyck shut the door. Unlike the goal he allowed in the opener, the rating Vezina winner was on the money. He didn’t give up any juicy rebounds, either. Hellebuyck finished with 25 saves, including eight in a third period controlled by Canada.

There was little doubt that they’d turn it up in the third. A loss in regulation meant that they would still need to earn a spot in the semifinals. They spent plenty of time in the USA zone. However, they were only able to generate a couple of quality chances. It spoke to how well USA executed their gameplan. They took away Canada’s speed and won the key defensive battles on the walls. Neither Auston Matthews nor Jack Hughes had good games offensively, but it didn’t stop either from making smart defensive plays to get pucks out. Vincent Trocheck and Brock Nelson were superb defensively. They made smart reads to break up plays.

After Canadian head coach Jon Cooper pulled Binnington for an extra attacker, Guentzel added an empty netter with 1:19 left to seal the victory.

The only concern moving forward is how serious Matthew Tkachuk’s injury is. During the third period, he came back to the USA bench and told assistant coach John Tortorella he couldn’t go. They termed it an upper-body injury following the game. With nothing on the line against Sweden Monday night in Boston, they can dress Chris Kreider and rest Tkachuk. He’ll have four days off before Thursday’s final at TD Garden in what should be an electric atmosphere.

For the doubters, they’ve been proven wrong. The intensity of these games has been through the roof. Finland needed to win over Sweden and got it done by coming back to beat them 4-3 in overtime on a goal from Mikael Granlund. If the Finns can beat Canada this afternoon, then the late game between Sweden and USA becomes significant. A lot is at stake.

Will Cooper consider making a change in goal? He has Adin Hill in reserve. We’ll see what he decides to do.

As good as their win was over Canada to guarantee them a spot in the final, the job isn’t finished for USA. It’s all about the big game later this week. They’ll probably need a goal from Matthews to win. If it’s a rematch with Canada, the ratings will hit the ceiling.