Olympics: USA vs. Canada for the gold medal has members of the Islanders and Rangers talking

Finally. After all the twists and turns, and all the overtimes, and all the late-game drama, the Olympic hockey tournament has arrived at its conclusion, and it’s the game everyone has been anticipating all along: Canada versus Team USA in the gold medal game, 8:10 a.m. Sunday, live on NBC.

Canada, the favorite to win when the tournament began, rallied from a two-goal deficit and beat Finland, 3-2, on a last-minute power play goal by Nathan MacKinnon in Friday’s first semifinal, and the U.S. cruised in the other semi, beating underdog Slovakia, 6-2,to set up a rematch of last year’s final in the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.

“I think everyone kind of foresaw that being the final game from the start of the tournament,’’ said Rangers center and Canadian Sam Carrick. “I’ve got a lot of good friends on both sides. And, you know, it's one of those things where it's just been really fun to watch just the highest level of hockey in the world.’’

“It’s good for hockey. It’s good for the players,’’ Islanders defenseman Tony DeAngelo, an American, said. “I’d say there’s probably not a player on either team that wanted either one of them to get upset yesterday. I think they want to be on a collision course to play each other . . .  So it’s cool. Especially after the 4 Nations, it’s setting up perfectly. A lot of guys know each other — like each other, too. But country comes over that.’’

Both the Islanders and Rangers will have representation in the final. Rangers coach Mike Sullivan and assistant David Quinn are behind the bench for Team USA, and forwards J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck are on the roster. Islanders forward Bo Horvat plays for Canada.

There were some nervous moments for both teams on the way to the finals. Canada needed a late tying goal in the quarterfinals against Czechia before winning in overtime, and the Canadians won Friday without their captain, Sidney Crosby, who missed the game due to a lower-body injury sustained in the quarterfinal. His status for the final is uncertain.

The U.S. had a tough quarterfinal against Sweden, which rallied on a late goal by Rangers center Mika Zibanejad to force overtime, where the U.S. won on a goal by Quinn Hughes.

“To me, right now, it’s just that they’re the two best teams right there on paper,’’ Islanders GM Mathieu Darche, a Canadian, said. “Sweden has a great team and Finland and those teams. But if you look at anybody that will evaluate the teams, they’re the two best teams so you want the two teams in the finals. For the NHL, it’s the two countries where all the teams are, so it’s great.’'

“As a Canadian or American, that’s the matchup you want to see,’’ Islanders center and Canadian Casey Cizikas said. “In our eyes they are the two best nations in the world that produce the best hockey players. And that’s nothing to go against Sweden, Finland, Russia, those teams. But the rivalry that we have between each other from such a young age, it starts in minor hockey when teams from the States come up [to Canada]. You know who they are. You know you want to beat them because there’s that Canada-US rivalry. So it definitely will be exciting. It’s great for hockey . . . Got to get up early for it.’’

Rangers rookie winger Gabe Perreault was born in Canada, but grew up in Chicago, where his father, former NHLer Yanic Perreault serves as the Development Coach for the NHL team there. He doesn’t have any mixed feelings when it comes to his rooting interest Sunday, however.

“I grew up in Chicago since I was so young, so I kind of considered myself just more American,’’ said Perreault. “And obviously I played for the [U.S. National Team Development] Program and the U.S. in the World Junior [Championships]. So I’m definitely, definitely going for the U.S., for sure.’’