Canada’s fourth line delivers in 4-2 win over United States at World Cup

TORONTO — It’s an embarrassment of riches for Canadian head coach Mike Babcock.

His first three lines are stacked and the so-called fourth line of Matt Duchene, Joe Thornton and Ryan O’Reilly would be a top line on many NHL teams.

That trio showed what it was capable of Tuesday night in a 4-2 win over the United States at Air Canada Centre. The speedy Duchene scored twice in the opening period while Thornton chipped in with an assist.

O’Reilly said they can “provide that extra wave” for the team by using their skill and puck possession abilities.

“Not just going out there and grinding, but still making plays and wearing teams down by having the puck,” he said. “That’s our goal and mindset going into games.”

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Duchene played a team-low 11 minutes five seconds on the ice, but he made the most of it. O’Reilly played 12:43 and Thornton skated for 11:37.

“Duchy could just flat out skate tonight,” Babcock said. “Probably should have played him more or whatever. But I thought they were real good.”

The veteran Thornton was his usual steady presence on the ice and gave the line a physical edge. O’Reilly was effective in the corners while Duchene pulled the strings, often leaving the American defencemen on their heels.

“He makes those amazing, stellar plays,” O’Reilly said of Duchene. “He creates so much. He does these phenomenal plays, the way he works his edges. He creates his own space.”

Babcock also gave Thornton some power-play time and used O’Reilly at times on the penalty kill. 

One area in need of improvement is faceoffs. O’Reilly struggled throughout the game, winning just three of 13 draws. 

Canada’s next game is Wednesday night against Team Europe.

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Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press