The big winner of the 4 Nations Face-Off was … the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The NHL and NHL Players’ Association put together a highly competitive tournament that didn’t seem to want to end as the USA-Canada final went to overtime and produced another Canadian international win.
Games were tight — even a 6-1 U.S. win over Finland was 2-1 heading into the third period — and intense. Three games went to overtime, and the NHL’s top player, three-time MVP Connor McDavid, picked up the winner against the USA.
There were fights, big hits, bigger saves and playoff-level intensity as NHL players suited up in national team jerseys in the first best-on-best tournament since 2016.
‘I think it was much more popular than even we would have imagined,’ tournament MVP Nathan MacKinnon told ESPN. ‘It was getting so much attention from our whole continent.’
Here are the winners and losers from the 4 Nations Face-Off:
Winners
Canada
Canada is the undisputed leader in best-on-best tournaments. It overcame a 3-1 loss to the USA in the round robin to prevail. Canada came up short at the 2006 Olympics but won the 2002 and 2010 Olympics (beating the USA in the final each time), the 2014 Olympics, the 2004 and 2016 World Cup of Hockey and this tournament.
Canada goalie Jordan Binnington
Remember when Canada was supposed to have the weakest goaltending of the tournament? Coach Jon Cooper rode Binnington the whole way. While he did give up a few weak goals in the round robin, he was solid in the final (ask Auston Matthews and Jake Guentzel). He picked up his second big win at Boston’s TD Garden after leading the St. Louis Blues to victory in Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.
Matthew and Brady Tkachuk
The USA brothers dominated the headlines. They each scored twice against Finland and orchestrated the opening fights in the first USA-Canada game. Though Matthew missed the Sweden game with an injury and Brady left that game, they both started in the final. Brady scored a goal and threw some big hits. Matthew, though, wasn’t able to finish the game and had to watch from the bench starting late in the second period.
“He’s all heart,’ USA coach Mike Sullivan said of Matthew Tkachuk, according to The Athletic. ‘He’s a heart-and-soul guy. So is his brother (Brady Tkachuk). I think these guys were such a huge part of the leadership group. They’re just high-character people. They have an insatiable appetite to win, and it’s contagious.’
The overtime rule
Expanding the overtime to 10 minutes, rather than five, in the 4 Nations Face-Off round robin led to an exciting finish in the Canada-Sweden game – and more important, no shootout. If the league and players adopt this for future regular seasons, it could cut down on the number of shootouts. Perhaps 10 minutes is too long. Maybe eight would be better. The extra minutes of play (assuming someone scores during that time) would be shorter than the amount of time needed to conduct a five-minute OT and shootout.
The 2026 Olympics
The 4 Nations Face-Off was designed as an appetizer for the NHL’s return to the Olympics in Italy in 2026. This tournament showed what level of play can be expected there.
Washington Capitals
No one from the Eastern Conference-leading Capitals was selected to play, so the team will be rested going into the stretch run.
Losers
Boston Bruins
NHL teams worry about players being hurt in these tournaments, and the Bruins had a big loss. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy hurt his shoulder in the opening Finland game and then played against Canada on Saturday. He was in increasing pain when the series shifted to Boston and went to the hospital for tests, where it was discovered he had an infection in his right shoulder and a significant injury to his AC joint.
He couldn’t play in the final, though he did go to the dressing room to announce the starting lineups. The Bruins, who are one point out of a playoff spot, can’t afford to lose McAvoy. Matthew Tkachuk and Vegas’ Shea Theodore were also hurt in the tournament.
Complicated injury-replacement rule
The tournament’s injury-replacement rule was complicated and it led to strange optics. When Canada’s Theodore was hurt in the opening game, the team brought in Thomas Harley, but he couldn’t practice unless another Canadian defenseman went out. He watched practice and then jumped on when Cale Makar (illness) skated off. Certainly, the league and players’ association will make some tweaks. Maybe they bring back a taxi squad used in previous Olympics.
NHL All-Star games
How can the low-competition All-Star Game compare to the high-intensity 4 Nations Face-Off? The league keeps trying to revamp the format, and the last one was slightly better, but it doesn’t come close to matching this tournament. Fortunately, the NHL is bringing back the World Cup of Hockey in 2028 with the goal of having the Olympics and World Cup cycle two years apart. That means fewer All-Star Games.
Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson
After a tough season in Vancouver, Pettersson could have used a strong 4 Nations Face-Off to reboot him for the stretch run. But he had no points and two shots in three games and played fewer than 10 minutes in Monday’s game.
Finland’s defense
Finland often wins Olympic medals because it brings in players from the Finnish league. But this was an NHL-only tournament and the already-thin blue line lost Miro Heiskanen, Jani Hakanpaa and Rasmus Ristolainen before the tournament began. Finland ended up using five forwards on its power play and the lack of defensive depth eventually cost the team a chance to advance.
This story was updated with new information.
