Canada’s men’s hockey team defeated the USA 3-2 in overtime Thursday to capture the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off Championship as the NHL put on a show in the first edition of this midseason international tournament.

So while Canada found a way again — following the same script as Vancouver 2010 where Team USA won the round-robin matchup between the two countries but Team Canada prevailed when it truly mattered in the end — anyone who knows the game can see the gap has shrunk over the past 15 years.

Team USA will play its biggest game in 15 years on Thursday night when it meets Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship. The Americans have already shown they can beat their bitter rivals, but the Canadians will do everything they can to avenge Saturday's loss and win the tournament.