Late Heroics Save Canada in Wild Quarterfinal Comeback

Hearts sank throughout the entire Nation of Canada yesterday after the Ondrej Palat goal that put Czechia up 3-2 late into the third period of their quarter-final game, but late-game heroics from Suzuki, Binnington and Marner booked Canada's trip to the semi-finals.

All hope was lost from the Canadian side as they struggled to generate offence for much of the game with the injuries to captain Sidney Crosby, and weren't given much support from big-game goaltender Jordan Binnington in the crease either. When Crosby, who is the heart and soul of the group, went down, the whole country was questioning who would step up in his place.

With the clock running down, John Cooper got aggressive, putting the star-studded "McMacMack" line back together to generate offence late in the game. Czechia was ready for this and made sure that whenever this line stepped on the ice, they'd make sure to keep the puck in Canada's zone for as long as they possibly could.

Nick Suzuki Redemption

With the top line contained and Sidney Crosby sidelined, things started to look grim for Canada as the entire bottom nine couldn't generate anything offensively. It was up to Nick Suzuki to take over the number two center role between Mitch Marner and Mark Stone. He looked much more comfortable in his natural position, generating multiple scoring chances, including a wide-open one-timer that dinged off the post. Suzuki kept this mishap in the back of his mind up until the final four minutes of the game, when he decided to stay on to get the puck in deep as his linemates got off the ice. He ended up following the puck in and ringing it back up the boards to the point. Eventually, he parked himself in front of the net in front of a Devon Toews shot, and redirected the puck between the Czechia netminder's legs for an incredible tip-in goal to equalize with 3:27 left to play. After a slow start to the tournament followed by a plethora of online criticism, Captain Clutch struck again, giving Canada a shot to win the game in overtime.

Jordan Binnington Shuts Up Haters

Binnington was having his worst showing of the tournament, allowing 3 goals on only 24 shots on the final stat sheet. However, when it mattered most, Binnington stopped multiple grade-A Czechia chances late in the game to give Canada a fighting chance. A late breakaway save, coupled with various big-time stops in the 3v3 OT period, helped secure Canada's victory despite the shaky start. Amid Binnington's in-season struggles in the NHL, many questioned why he was given the starting role once again as Canada's primary netminder. Regardless of these struggles, head coach John Cooper continues to trust Binnington in these big-time games, and he has been proven right every time.

Mitch Marner Heroics

Throughout the tournament, many questioned Mitch Marner's impact. Marner was criticized heavily during his days with the Maple Leafs for disappearing in big playoff games, which eventually led to him being run out of town and acquired by the Golden Knights. He temporarily silenced these haters with a strong showing in the Four Nations Faceoff for Canada, where he scored a big overtime goal to beat the Swedes in overtime. Doubters thought this was a one-time occurrence and that Mitch would continue to be a ghost in important games, but he put those claims to rest once again. Marner then took matters into his own hands, single-handedly taking on the entire Czechia team and firing a backhand shot into the top corner of the net for the overtime winner. Canadians everywhere could finally stop holding their breath, as they get their revenge on Czechia for beating them at the World Juniors just months prior.

Never a doubt

All three players named have received their fair share of backlash throughout this tournament, and all three of them showed up when the team needed them most. Fans thought Suzuki should be left off the roster, Marner ghosts in big games, and Binnington should be wearing a ballcap on the bench... They were all wrong.