USA vs. Canada again: World Championship quarterfinal set three months after Olympic gold thriller in Milan

He wasn't kidding.

Again.

This one isn't for Olympic gold.

But don't tell the Americans it doesn't matter.

The U.S. entered Tuesday needing a win over Austria to extend its tournament, and the defending world champions wasted little time making sure there wouldn't be any drama. Connor Clifton opened the scoring 5:34 into the first period, and Ryan Ufko followed just 45 seconds later with a slap shot past Austrian goalie Atte Tolvanen.

That was pretty much that.

Paul Cotter made it 3-0 early in the second period, and Tkachuk added a power-play goal later in the frame to put the game away. Austria spoiled Devin Cooley's shutout bid late in the second, but the Americans held on comfortably enough to keep their title defense alive.

More importantly, they earned another shot at Canada.

That's true.

It's also exactly why this matchup is so good, even if many of the best players in the world will be absent.

Canada isn't at full Olympic strength, either, but let's be honest: when Sidney Crosby, Macklin Celebrini, Evan Bouchard, John Tavares, Ryan O'Reilly, Mark Scheifele, Morgan Rielly and Darnell Nurse don the maple leaf, Canada means business.

It also makes it clear that Canada wants to win this tournament, badly.

That's why this game matters, even if it's not a full best-on-best matchup.

Canada's biggest advantage was that international hockey felt like part of the country's identity. The best Canadians showed up because winning in that sweater was part of the job.

That feels different now.

That's why Tkachuk's buy-in matters, and it's what made his recent comments on "The Pat McAfee Show" so important. He made sure to stress that the World Championship isn't a European vacation with a few hockey games mixed in. He made it clear Team USA was going there to win gold.

Tkachuk was named to the preliminary U.S. roster on May 7, but he didn't join the Americans for the opening stretch of the tournament. That's not unusual at the World Championship, where NHL-heavy rosters can look different from week to week and players often arrive after the tournament is already underway.

Tkachuk didn't solve every roster issue. But he did give the Americans a little more edge and a little more belief.

That belief is what Canada has had forever.

It's what the United States is building now.

The Americans won the World Championship last year for the first time in 92 years. They beat Switzerland, 1-0, in overtime to win gold. Then they followed that by beating Canada in the Olympic final in February, a 2-1 overtime thriller that gave the U.S. its first Olympic men's hockey gold medal since Lake Placid.

Now comes the next test.

So, yes, Canada should feel pretty good about itself for clinching the top spot in Group B and not losing a single game. The Canadians probably feel good about the Americans finishing fourth in Group A, too.

But none of that really matters now because it's USA vs. Canada. Throw out everything that's happened so far.

The Americans don't need a perfect roster to make this interesting. They need enough talent, enough goaltending and enough buy-in.

They got enough of all three against Austria.

Ufko, one of the goal scorers Tuesday, said the Americans knew exactly what kind of game they were playing.

"It feels good," Ufko said, according to the IIHF. "We knew that it was a winner-go-home type of game, a playoff game. We're really proud with the way it went, and we're just looking forward to the quarterfinals now."

They should be.

Because for USA Hockey, these games are no longer simply measuring-stick moments against big brother Canada. Those days are over.

The Americans are the defending world champions. They're the defending Olympic champions. They've won at the junior level. They've got stars all over the NHL. They've got a generation of players that not only can beat Canada, but expects to beat Canada.

That shift hasn't gone unnoticed.

The 4 Nations Face-Off showed it. The Olympics confirmed it. Tkachuk's World Championship arrival reinforced it.

Team USA isn't chasing Canada anymore.

They're the ones being chased.