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Columbus Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski paces '4 Nations' scorers despite OT loss to Canada
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- Columbus Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski paces '4 Nations' scorers despite OT loss to Canada
Zach Werenski is coming home from the 4 Nations Face-Off as the tournament's leading scorer, but the Blue Jackets star didn't get what he wanted most.
Werenski and the United States lost to Canada, 3-2, in overtime Thursday night at TD Garden in Boston on Connor McDavid 's goal 8:18 into OT. Werenski's assist on a go-ahead goal scored by his defensive partner, Jake Sanderson , in the second period was his sixth assist and sixth point in four games, pushing him past Canadian captain Sidney Crosby into the tournament's top spot for points.
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Werenski also made history by joining former Canadian legends Bobby Orr and Denis Potvin as the only defensemen in league history to lead an NHL international tournament in scoring. Orr and Potvin accomplished the feat as teammates for Canada in the 1976 Canada Cup, each finishing tied with Soviet forward Victor Zhluktov to lead all scorers in that tournament with nine points each.
Werenski, according to the NHL, is just the fourth defenseman to start an NHL sanctioned international tournament with at least one point in the first four-plus games, joining Potvin, Sweden's Calle Johansson and Paul Coffey — who did it twice for Canada at the 1984 Canada Cup and 1996 World Cup of Hockey.
Feb 20, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Brady Tkachuk (7) and forward Auston Matthews (34) celebrate defenseman Jake Sanderson (85) goal against Team Canada during the second period during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Werenski skated 23:07 in the championship tilt, third most for the U.S., and finished with one point on the assist plus four shots on seven attempts. He finished the tournament with a 0-6-6 scoring line and 20:42 average ice time while putting 13 shots on net.
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Werenski now rejoins the Blue Jackets for a game Saturday at Nationwide Arena against the Chicago Blackhawks . It's the team's first game since breaking for nearly two weeks due to the 4 Nations Face-Off, which means Werenski didn't get any down time.
Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said after the Jackets' practice Wednesday that he expects the star defenseman will play against Chicago and may take some practices off to rest his legs for a playoff push. A group of Blue Jackets players planned to watch the 4 Nations title game together, including dual citizens Cole Sillinger , Mathieu Olivier and Sean Kuraly .
Johnny Gaudreau 's memory evoked with ceremony, late game chants
Feb 20, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] USA Former hockey player Mike Eruzione (left) and Former Canadian hockey player Wayne Gretzky stand on the ice for the puck drop prior to the game against Team USA and Team Canada during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
Prior to the game, honorary U.S. captain Mike Eruzione met Canadian honorary captain Wayne Gretzky at center ice wearing a U.S. jersey with Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau's No. 13 and name on the back , which the U.S. team has displayed in its locker room and used as a postgame "player of the game" award after wins. Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed Aug. 29 after being struck by a vehicle while riding bicycles near their home in Salem County, New Jersey.
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Their memories were also honored near the end of regulation with the game knotted at 2-2. Fans of the U.S., and possibly some from Canada, filled the arena with chants of "Johnny ... Hockey!" to elicit a reminder of Gaudreau — who starred at Boston College before his NHL career with the Calgary Flames and Blue Jackets. Matthew Gaudreau also played for Boston College, including an overlap season with his older brother.
Canada forward Connor McDavid (97) celebrates scoring in overtime to defeat the USA.
Mitch Marner , Connor McDavid combine to net OT goal for Canada
It was a touching moment but wasn't enough to push the U.S. to victory for a second time in the tournament. McDavid won a faceoff against Toronto Maple Leafs star and U.S. captain Auston Matthews a little more than eight minutes into OT, camped out in the slot and ripped a wrist shot past U.S. goalie Connor Hellebuyck at 8:18 for a signature winning goal to end it.
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The pass to McDavid was delivered by Mitch Marner, who sent the puck past Matthews to exploit his NHL teammate's defensive lapse leaving the world's best player wide open between the circles.
In the end, after two days of political bluster spouted by the American side based on incendiary comments issued by a sitting U.S. president who contacted the U.S. team in their locker room via phone Thursday, Canada won a trophy that may never be handed out again in a tournament created by the NHL and NHL Players' Association. They paraded it around the ice after Crosby received it from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman like it was the Stanley Cup, while the Americans sulked in their the locker room.
Feb 20, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA look on as Team Canada celebrate after the overtime goal by forward Connor McDavid (97) (not pictured) during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
The rivalry is scheduled to be renewed among NHL talent at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy. As for Werenski, it's time to refocus on the Blue Jackets' season sitting just one point behind the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
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The teams play twice in the next week, including a highly anticipated meeting March 1 in the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series matchup at Ohio Stadium.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Zach Werenski gets scoring crown despite U.S. overtime loss to Canada
