Team USA forward Jack Eichel calls Thursday’s 4 Nations Face-Off final against Canada potentially the biggest game of his career – even after winning the Stanley Cup.
“This is huge, it’s the biggest game I’ve played in quite some time, maybe ever,” Eichel told reporters, including the Boston Globe’s Conor Ryan. “I’m really looking forward to it. I think everyone in the room’s looking forward to it. It’s what we wanted, right?”
The U.S. secured their spot in the final by defeating Canada 3-1 on Saturday. Canada advanced with a 5-3 win over Finland on Monday.
Eichel has recorded four assists in three tournament games, tying him for second in scoring.
The Vegas Golden Knights center won the Stanley Cup last season, contributing 26 points (6 goals, 20 assists) in 22 playoff games.
His current NHL season with Vegas shows remarkable progress. Through 55 games, he’s tallied 69 points, including 50 assists. At this pace, he’ll finish with 102 points in 81 games, well above his previous career-high of 82 points set with the Buffalo Sabres in 2018-19.
Team USA faces several injury concerns heading into the final. Brady Tkachuk left Monday’s game against Sweden and didn’t return. Matthew Tkachuk, Auston Matthews, and Charlie McAvoy missed the game with injuries.
The championship game starts at 8 p.m. ET Thursday in Boston.
