Team Canada Eliminates Team USA From World Cup Of Hockey With 4-2 Win

The U.S. sent a skating team to the 2014 Sochi Olympics in Russia and finished with disappointing results.

Team Canada Eliminates Team USA From World Cup Of Hockey With 4-2 Win

The Americans switched to a gritty team for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and have now been eliminated after just two games in the preliminary round.

The Canadians cruised to a 4-2 victory over the Americans in Toronto on Tuesday to guarantee Canada (2-0) and Team Europe (2-0) a place in the semifinals.

Team USA will return home Thursday to play a meaningless game against the Czech Republic.

Defenseman Ryan McDonagh and forward T.J. Oshie scored USA’s goals.

McDonagh gave the Americans a 1-0 lead at 4:22 of the first period, but the Canadians rapidly responded with an onslaught. The US was only up for 1:29 before Matt Duchene and Corey Perry scored goals 14 seconds apart to give Canada a 2-1 lead 6:05 into the game. Duchene scored his second at 12:07 of the first period. New York Islanders Canadian center John Tavares made a slick move to set up Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron’s goal at 8:50 of the second period to give Canada a 4-1 lead.

One would have thought Team USA coach John Tortorella would have pulled goalie Jonathan Quick after allowing three goals on six shots. Nevertheless, it wasn’t completely Quick’s fault. The Americans’ inability to clear the puck from the zone, and a bit of puck luck for the Canadians led to Team USA’s first-period meltdown. Oshie tapped in a rebound with 2:32 left to make it 4-1, but by then it was far too late.

The USA’s record against Canada in Canada Cups and World Cups is now 3-9-1, and all three of the USA’s wins came in 1996, when the Americans won the tournament.

Canada has won three of the past four Olympic men’s hockey titles, and the last two World Championships, thus establishing themselves as the world’s hockey superpower. The also won the last World Cup in 2004.

Meanwhile, the U.S. fell 1-0 to Canada in the last Olympic semifinals and 5-0 to Finland in the bronze medal game. In this year’s World Cup of Hockey, Team Europe topped the USA 3-0 in the first round.

For some of the Americans, this will likely be their last opportunity to play for the U.S. men’s national team. Nevertheless, Team USA has some talented forwards, such as Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel, to lead the squad in the near future.

Defending USA scoring champion Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks continued to struggle offensively in these best-on-best tournaments, going without a goal in two games.

The right winger seemed unsure of himself, forgoing a fantastic opportunity to shoot on a 3-on-1 in the second period, with the U.S. trailing 3-1, to make a pass that ended up going awry.

Canada will next face off against Team Europe on Wednesday night.

TORONTO, ON – SEPTEMBER 20: Jonathan Quick #32 of Team USA makes a save on Matt Duchene #9 of Team Canada in the second period during the World Cup of Hockey at the Air Canada Center on September 20, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)