<p>The stage is set for what should be an exhilarating game on Thursday night, as the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/team-united-states/line-combinations">United States</a> and <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/team-canada/line-combinations">Canada </a>get set to battle it out in the championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off.</p>



<p>The U.S. will head into the matchup a little beaten and battered, but they have Canada’s number after coming away with a 3-1 win in Montreal this past Saturday. </p>



<p>Now, as the final will be held inside TD Garden in Boston, Canadian head coach Jon Cooper knows how vital possession will be in such a big game.</p>



<p>“A lot of this game is about puck management, and sometimes, it is not as fun to watch,” Cooper said. “There is a lot of hard work. For a lot of the game, you might be working without the puck. But when you put it in places and go get it back, you can lean on teams.”</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="150"></div>



<p>While Canada was able to outshoot the Americans in the round-robin matchup, they weren’t able to get as many second and third opportunities against Connor Hellebuyck, thanks to a lot of changes in possession.</p>



<p>“We didn’t do that very well against the US in the first game. We made some adjustments with it [against <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/team-finland/line-combinations">Finland</a>]. It worked in our favor.”</p>



<p>Canada was able to jump on Finland early in their do-or-die game on Monday afternoon, punching their ticket to the championship game with an uncomfortable 5-3 win.</p>



<p>Cooper is no stranger to coaching in crucial games. The man was behind the bench for the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/tampa-bay-lightning/line-combinations">Tampa Bay Lightning’s</a> back-to-back Stanley Cups. He understands the magnitude of the task at hand and knows that Canada is going to have to be tougher on the U.S. than they were in the chaotic game just a few days ago.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="145"></div>



<p>“We have to put stress on them. I didn’t think we did enough (on Saturday),” Cooper said. “There is a lot of (credit) to them, too. They have a phenomenal team, and they defend and play hard. I think you are going to see two really evenly matched teams go at it.”</p>



<p>It will be the fourth time these two rivals will meet in a “best-on-best” tournament final. Canada beat the Americans in the 1991 Canada Cup Final and the gold medal game at the 2010 Olympics. However, the U.S. did win the spirited best-of-three series in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.</p>



<p>It might be difficult to top the entertainment that was Saturday night’s rumble, but Cooper expects the championship game is going to be a must-see event.</p>



<p>“The city of Boston will be treated to something special on Thursday night.”</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="2" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="142"></div>
