MONTREAL — Vincent Trocheck landed a blistering hit on his first shift.
J.T. Miller was the first to get feisty in front of the net.
Adam Fox got into it with Finland’s Sebastian Aho, who was the other half of the knee-on-knee collision that knocked the Rangers defenseman out for 10 games last season.
The three Rangers who suited up in Team USA’s 6-1 win over Finland on Thursday night may not have shown up on the scoresheet, but they were right in the middle of the fray of the second game of the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-off.
The crowd’s hostility came through in the form of boos during the U.S. national anthem, so Team USA showed its teeth by way of physicality and a goal-apalooza led by the Tkachuk brothers, Matthew and Brady, and their combined four goals and five points.
“I think we like it,” Miller said of hearing the noise during “The Star-Spangled Banner.” “Not politically but just in the sense of we know where we’re at, in Canada. I think that fires us up more than anything.”
In addition to combining for five hits, Miller (2:36) and Trocheck (2:24) logged the most and third-most shorthanded ice time, respectively, for Team USA.
The Americans ultimately fended off both of Finland’s power plays.
Fox led all defensemen with 2:59 of ice time with the man advantage, as Team USA went 2-for-4 on the power play in the win.
He was also charged with roughing Aho, who earned the same penalty, when the two battled in front of the net at the 4:03 mark of the third period.
Long Island natives Fox and Charlie McAvoy enjoyed dinner together Wednesday night before they took the ice the following night.
The childhood friends first were teammates when they were just 6 years old with the Long Island Gulls.
Now, they’re back in the same jersey for the first time since they skated for the U.S. National U18 team during the 2014-15 season.
“It’s going to be funny with my parents there, his parents there, we’re all in the same thing and they’re cheering for us together and it’ll feel like, ‘Is this the Gulls or is it the U.S. team?’ ” McAvoy told The Post before the game with a chuckle. “It’s wild, and I know we’re both very, very fortunate for this opportunity.
“It’s been great. It’s been great catching up with him. We’ve spent a lot of time together. It’s just awesome. I don’t know, It’s hard to explain. It’s just so unique, it’s so cool to have this opportunity to do it with him. I can’t wait to see his folks when we get back to Boston.”
The United States announced that its goal song will be “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, which was also Team USA’s celebration song on its way to a gold medal at the 2025 World Junior Championships.
