Jake Guentzel becomes first Tampa Bay Lightning player to score in 4 Nations Face-off
The Americans broke open what started out as a tight game, to beat Finland in their 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament opener.
Lightning's Jake Guentzel shined throughout the entirety of the game. The forward came out for the third period with momentum, assisting on Matthew Tkachuk’s power-play goal just 15 seconds in. Just 11 seconds later, he took a pass from Toronto captain Auston Matthews, and shot right past Finnish goalie Juuse Saros. "Free Bird," which is Team USA’s goal song, blared throughout the Bell Centre.
The Americans responded with six unanswered goals, including Brady Tkachuk’s game-tying goal in the first period. Minnesota Wild forward Matt Boldy’s goal was the only time Finland saw the scoresheet.
Thursday's win locks in three points for Team USA, which puts them in the lead for the tournament standings. The Americans play Canada for two points on Saturday at 8pm in Montreal.