Original Misfit key to Canada advancing to the gold medal game

Shea Theodore had a relatively quiet Olympic showing heading into Friday's game. The Original Misfit had one assist in four games, making for a surprising absence on a solid Canadian team. However, Theodore got the game-tying goal that eventually led to Team Canada's 3-2 victory over Finland.

The defenseman fired a laser past Juuse Saros in the third period, helping Canada come back from a 2-0 deficit. What's more surprising is that neither Mark Stone nor Mitch Marner had a point in this game. The two players combined for two shots on goal (Marner had both), making life impossible for Canada.

As for Theodore? He had two. However, one was all he needed as the Canadians advanced to the gold medal game. It was another comeback performance that the Northern neighbors needed, especially from its depth pieces. Lo and behold, Theodore delivers and Canada goes home happy.

Sam Reinhart and Nathan MacKinnon delivered power play goals, with the latter scoring with 36 seconds left. Ex-Golden Knight Erik Haula scored on a shorthanded opportunity, putting the Finnish team up 2-0. Mikko Rantanen got the Milan party started with a goal of his own, putting Finland up 1-0.

Shea Theodore's clutch play enforces a recurring theme for Team Canada

It wasn't that long ago that Mitch Marner had to save Team Canada from literal disaster. He weaved through the Czech Republic's defense when entering the offensive zone, helping Canada advance to the semifinal game. Sure, the attention might be focused on Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid since they have sax-ual appeal. But the Golden Knights stars have done their due diligence in carrying the team.

That was evident on Friday with Theodore's slap shot past Saros. The Canadians got off to a slow start and needed help against a pesky defensive team in Finland. They were firing shots at the Nashville Predators' netminder and nothing was falling for Canada.

Thankfully for Canada, they had an Original Misfit to pick up the slack. Up until the quarterfinals, they hadn't faced a real challenge from their opponents. The Canadians outscored their opponents in the first three games, 20-3. They handled their business and got a tough challenge against their last two foes.

That's where depth players like Theodore come into play. They're able to alleviate the issues on the team and take care of business. That was especially true against Finland, where they needed more juice in the tank than needed.

That could be the recipe for a gold medal, establishing their dominance in the sport. After all, you can't win with a top-heavy lineup around. That just leaves you as a bridesmaid, as Matthew Tkachuk so eloquently told Leon Draisaitl.