Marner finally joins forces with McDavid on Canada's top line

Team Canada, Team USA, and Team Sweden practised at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard, Que. on Monday ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off. 

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Leafs winger Mitch Marner is starting the 4 Nations Face-Off on Team Canada's top line beside Edmonton Oilers centre Connor McDavid. 

"It's a nice treat to be on his side for once," said Marner, who faced McDavid while growing up in the Greater Toronto Hockey League and the Ontario Hockey League.

"We played against each other pretty much our whole life. We were joking around this summer just about how it'll be nice to be on the same team as one another and not compete against each other."

Marner and McDavid, who are tied for fourth in NHL scoring with 71 points, will be joined on the line by Florida Panthers sniper Sam Reinhart.

"Pretty excited about it," said Marner. "Two guys that can make a lot of plays out there and do a lot of things with the puck. It's just trying to get the puck in time and space and find them in the right areas to score."

Marner received a heads up about his line assignment from Team Canada head coach Jon Cooper a couple days before arriving in Montreal.

"You got speed, you got brains, and you got guys that can shoot it in the net," Cooper said. "You hand me a line like that, I'll take my chances."

"Two amazing players," McDavid said. "Reinhart scores lots of goals, great shot, so smart. Mitch, obviously the playmaker, kind of plays up high in the zone, so definitely a good mix." 

Marner says he hasn't played with someone as fast as McDavid since he teamed up with Colorado Avalanche centre Nathan MacKinnon at the 2017 World Championship where Canada won the silver medal with Cooper behind the bench. What's the key to maximizing McDavid's speed? 

"Try to get the puck into places where he can skate onto it," Marner said. 

McDavid recently compared Marner to his Oilers teammate Leon Draisaitl.

"Such a smart player," McDavid said. "Such a great playmaker. He reminds me a little bit of Leon [in] that he can slow the game down when he has to, and I like playing with guys like that."

Marner arrives at his first top-tier international event riding a wave of confidence. He is on pace for 107 points, which would beat his previous career high of 99.

"He works his tail off at both ends of the ice," Reinhart raved. "Hard on the puck, plays in all situations. It will be nice to not have to defend it for a couple games here." 

"He's a helluva goal scorer," Marner said of Reinhart, who potted 57 last season to finish second in the Rocket Richard Trophy race. "He's got a great stick around the net as well so will try to look for that if I get up high with the puck." 

Among Canada's players, only MacKinnon (66) has more assists this season than Marner (55). Among Canada's players, Reinhart is tied for the most goals (31) with Tampa Bay Lightning centre Brayden Point. And McDavid is a dual threat, who can skate like no one else. So, this line should be a match made in hockey heaven, but there's not much time to build chemistry before Canada opens the tournament against Sweden on Wednesday night. 

"Maybe a little tough," Marner said of the short window to mesh. "That's where we just got to communicate, talk a lot, communicate through the three zones and try to figure out where we are. We just want to keep the puck moving as quick as we can."

Only the top two teams advance to the championship after the three-game round robin, so one poor outing could spell disaster for a country.

"Sometimes it works right away, sometimes it takes time," said Reinhart, who played with McDavid at the 2015 World Juniors, but has never been teammates with Marner. "Unfortunately, we don't have time, so going to have to learn very fast and [see] how to work off these two. I'm looking forward to the challenge."

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Sidney Crosby practised on Canada's second line on Monday with MacKinnon and Vegas Golden Knights winger Mark Stone. Afterwards the Pittsburgh Penguins captain declared himself good to go for the tournament despite missing the last two games due to injury. 

Like many young Canadian players, Marner admired Crosby while growing up. Now, he gets to share a dressing room with him. 

"It's crazy," Marner said. "If you tell 10-year-old Mitch or eight-year-old Mitch about this, it's pretty remarkable. So, just excited. It'll be a fun time to be his teammate for this tournament and kind of learn off him and enjoy it."

Crosby, who captained Canada to gold at the 2014 Olympics and 2016 World Cup and will once again wear the 'C' at this event, looked like himself during Monday's workout. 

"What he's done for Team Canada, what he means to Team Canada, it's pretty special, so for him to be out there, you know, practising, looking great," Marner said. "It was nice to see."

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Leafs centre Auston Matthews was flanked by New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes and Tampa Bay Lightning winger Jake Guentzel at Team USA practice.

"Jack's extremely dynamic," Matthews said. "So good with the puck, sees the ice really well. And Jake, just his all-around his game is so solid in so many different areas and an easy guy to play with." 

Immediately after the USA roster was named, Hughes made it clear he'd be happy to move to the wing for the chance to play with Matthews, who led the NHL with 69 goals last season. 

"I feel like I haven't really played with a shooter like that probably in my life," Hughes said on Monday. "He's one of the best of the best when it comes to goal scoring."

"Auston is a guy that's a pure goal scorer," said USA head coach Mike Sullivan. "That's not his only attribute, but he certainly excels at that attribute. I think Jack Hughes is a guy that is as good as anyone at distributing pucks. He has such great offensive instincts. He's elusive. He has the ability to create time and space and he can get people the puck in the key areas."

Among American forwards, only Vegas centre Jack Eichel (50) has more assists this season than Hughes (41). But Hughes is quick to stress that he can't be forcing the puck to Matthews. 

"I want to play my game, first of all," the 23-year-old said. "Like, I can't be trying to be Mr. Passive Guy and whatnot because then that threat is gone. I just got to find the in between of playing my game and finding Jake and finding Matthews." 

Matthews was asked about the possibility of playing on a line with Hughes when the Leafs visited New Jersey for a game in December.

"It'd be great," he said. "He's a special player. Especially over the last couple of years, he seems to really have come into his own. A very dangerous player, so he's one of the guys I really enjoy watching."

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Leafs winger William Nylander skated on a line with New York Rangers centre Mika Zibanejad and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Rickard Rakell at Sweden's practice. 

"You already felt the chemistry right off the bat in the practice, so that was nice," said Nylander. "Just got to go out and play. It's not too much thinking. Just do your thing."

Nylander is second in the NHL with 33 goals this season. 

"I'm not really surprised how good he is in terms of his puck handling and the way he sees the ice," said Zibanejad. "Obviously his all-around game, really the way he's been the last couple years, has been awesome to see. Maybe not as much fun to play against, but I get a chance to play with him now so I'm excited."

This will be the first time Nylander and Zibanejad get to join forces as part of the national team.

"The way he plays with the puck is incredible," Nylander said. "But also taking care of the stuff without the puck and playing on that side as well, he's a tough player to play against." 

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The Leafs wrapped up a 10-day trip in Vancouver on Saturday night before Marner, Matthews and Nylander headed home for a very brief stop in Toronto.

"Took the dogs out for the walk and got back on the plane," Nylander said.  

"I got to go home for about four hours, five hours," Marner said. "Saw my dog for a little bit and then packed up again. It's kind of nice to go home. I didn't want to pack for a month-long trip, obviously."

The Leafs will play one home game after the 4 Nations tournament before heading out for another week on the road. Then they're back in Toronto for another home game before yet another week of road games. 

"We're almost away for, like, six weeks if you don't count the individual one-game stints at home," Nylander noted.  

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Lines at Canada practice: 

F

Reinhart - McDavid - Marner 
Stone - Crosby - MacKinnon 
Jarvis - Point  - Marchand 
Hagel - Cirelli - Bennett 

D

Toews - Makar 
Morrissey - Parayko  
Theodore - Doughty
Sanheim 

G

Binnington, Hill, Montembeault

Absent: Konecny (illness) 

Power-play units at Canada's practice: 

PP1

QB: Makar
Flanks: McDavid, MacKinnon
Middle: Reinhart 
Net front: Crosby

PP2

QB: Theodore 
Flanks: Morrissey, Marner 
Middle: Point 
Net front: Stone 

Lines at USA practice: 

F

Connor - Eichel - M. Tkachuk 
Guentzel - Matthews - Hughes
B. Tkachuk - Miller- Boldy
Nelson - Trocheck - Larkin
Kreider

D

Slavin - Fox
Werenski - McAvoy
Hanifin - Faber 
Sanderson

G

Hellebuyck, Oettinger, Swayman

Lines at Sweden practice:

F

Forsberg - Pettersson - Kempe
Rakell - Zibanejad - Nylander 
Bratt - Eriksson Ek - Raymond 
Arvidsson - Lindholm - Nyquist
L. Carlsson

D

Hedman - Brodin
Dahlin - Andersson
Ekholm - Karlsson 

G

Gustavsson, Ullmark, Ersson 

Absent: Forsling (illness)