Team North America Skates Circles Around Finland

By ESPN

The fastest team made a fast, strong first impression at the World Cup of Hockey.

With blazing speed and uncontainable skill, Team North America skated circles around Finland on the way to a 4-1 victory Sunday night at the World Cup of Hockey.

Led by goals from Jack Eichel, Johnny Gaudreau, Jonathan Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon, the group of 23-and-under Americans and Canadians toyed with a proud Finnish national team that has the most Olympic medals since NHL players began participating.

"We're here to play," Gaudreau said. "Hopefully, teams don't take us lightly. I think we're a fast, speed, skilled team, and hopefully we can keep proving [to] people [that] we belong here."

North America doesn't just belong in the elite tournament full of almost 200 of the best players in the world. It might be one of the most skilled from top to bottom. Four of the past five No. 1 picks were at their best Saturday night, offensively and defensively. Playing his first of what should be many games at his new home arena with the Toronto Maple Leafs, No. 1 pick Auston Matthews had an assist and showed he was ready to face NHL competition.

"I thought he was going to have a helluva game, and he did," coach Todd McLellan said. "There was no fear of playing."

Captain Connor McDavid, the 2015 No. 1 pick of the Edmonton Oilers, also had an assist and several nifty moves that confounded Finnish defenders.

Much like Team Europe, a collection of players from eight European countries, North America made a great first impression after plenty of criticism about being a gimmick. North America's blazing fast play in exhibition games made it the most intriguing part of the World Cup, and that fascination is only stronger now that it showed it can thrive when it counts.

"Just because we're younger doesn't mean that we're not as good or something like that," McDavid said. "It's just we have a little bit less experience."

Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Matt Murray made 24 saves but mostly had an easy night as North America outshot Finland 43-25, including an 18-6 domination in the second period.