Faber, Slavin teaming up for U.S. to stop Canada firepower in 4 Nations final

BOSTON – When the two of the best players in the world -- Canada’s Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon -- are attacking your net with what feels like reckless abandon, it can be a challenge for any team’s defense.

The United States will deal with that threat again in the championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off at TD Garden on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; Disney+, ESPN+, ESPN, SN, TVAS). Only this time, the Americans will attempt to win again without the services of star defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who is being treated for an infection in his right shoulder at Massachusetts General Hospital and will not play the final.

His absence will leave a void on the United States’ blue line against the Canadians, but the American defense is ready for the challenge.

Brock Faber and Jaccob Slavin will have the assignment to shut down Canada’s top line. Their goal is to become the U.S.’s last line of defense and not allow the puck to get to goalie Connor Hellebuyck.

“Blocking shots, picking up sticks, boxing out, trying to get (Hellebuyck) to see it,” Faber said. “There’s a lot that goes into it, and (Canada) is so dangerous off the rush, and the odd-man rush, so we’re trying to limit, that is what we did (Saturday) and what we’re going to try to do again.”

Faber (25:19) and Slavin (25:36) logged a ton of ice time against the Canadians in the first game of this tournament, a 3-1 win for the United States at Bell Centre in Montreal on Feb. 15, and they’re expecting much of the same in the championship.

“Those two are extremely hard to play against no matter who you are,” Faber said. “Having that opportunity the last time we played them was great and I thought we played really well. Tomorrow we’ll have the same task, so we’ll try to be as solid as we can again. It’s going to be a fun challenge in a fun atmosphere.

“These are games you dream of as a kid, so you have an opportunity to play against those guys is so cool for me. I’ll just try to play my game as best I can.”

Though every U.S. player is concerned for McAvoy’s health and recovery, his teammates also understand he wants them to defeat Canada and win the best-on-best tournament. Fair or unfair, since the Bruins selected McAvoy in the first round (No. 14) of the 2016 NHL Draft, he’s been expected to play like Bruins legend Ray Bourque. Well, last Saturday against Canada, McAvoy provided a Bourque-esque performance that will be missing Thursday.

Slavin’s mindset going into the game is simple.

“Just continuing to play to your strengths as an individual," he said. "Obviously, that’s a huge hole to fill on the [penalty kill], his physical presence, he logs a lot of minutes and plays a big presence on the blue line. For all of us, it’s not a role you fill. We just need to do what we do to the best of our abilities and continue to do what made us successful to be here. He’s a special player and it’s tough to fill that spot.”

As much as the U.S. will attempt to deny quality chances, it’s inevitable McDavid and MacKinnon will create solid looks. Without McAvoy, who played nearly 20 minutes last Saturday and provided four huge hits on McDavid and Sidney Crosby, the Unites States’ defense core will need to take its game to another level.

“It’s hard to replace his game because he’s such an incredible player, and an impactful player, but we’re fortunate to have some incredible players on this team who are waiting in the wings and know it’s the next-man-up mentality and we’ve got the group to do it,” said U.S. backup goalie and Bruins starter Jeremy Swayman. “I have nothing but confidence in every guy in this room that will take the role and make sure he does his part to help this team be successful.”

At the start of this tournament, United States coach Mike Sullivan preached the importance of playing a solid defensive style and it’s one reason why the team finds itself in the final.

“We defended extremely hard and that’s something we talked about from Day 1, the importance of making sure we’re hard to play against and our commitment to play away from the puck,” he said. “Our guys were very committed in that area of the game. The one area we could’ve done a better job is when we got the lead, we tried to defend it too much instead of staying on our toes and having the ability to control territory.”