The two last faced each other in the IIHF World Championship in 2019. Finland defeated Sweden 5-4 in overtime in the quarterfinals and went on to win gold; Lankinen allowed four goals on 18 shots in that game, including one by Pettersson. “As of now we’re not teammates for a week,” Lankinen said. “But maybe when we get back, we’ll talk more.”

In the end, it was less of an escape than Team USA putting its foot down in a 6-1 victory to open its 4 Nations Face-Off, boosted by a dominant third period from both Tkachuk brothers, Brady and Matthew, joined together on a line by coach Mike Sullivan.