Knight, USA win gold over Levi and Canada at World Junior

The gold medal game of the World Junior tournament featured two Florida Panthers prospects in net as Team USA’s Spencer Knight squared off against Canada’s Devon Levi.

While Knight was absolutely terrific in helping to win gold, it was a couple of kids who will be playing in Southern California soon who gave Knight a lead he would not relinquish.

On Tuesday night, Alex Turcotte (Los Angeles Kings) and Trevor Zegras (Anaheim Ducks) pushed Team USA to a two-goal lead and Knight stood tall in leading the Americans to a 2-0 championship victory in Edmonton.

This was the fifth time the gold medal game at the WJC featured rivals Canada and the U.S., with Team USA winning the past four championship meetings.

The shutout was Knight’s third of the WJC — which tied Levi for the tournament lead — and was the first shutout ever pitched by Team USA in the medal round at this event.

Knight, not surprisingly, was named ‘Player of the Game’ for Team USA following the victory.

”No one person can win a game on their own,” Knight told TSN moments after the final horn. “Our team battled so hard from start to finish. Every time we went into the locker room, we had so much energy. I am so proud of the guys.”

The last time Team USA beat Canada in the WJC final came at Montreal in a 2017 shootout.