Checking In With The Canes At The 4 Nations Face-Off

RALEIGH, N.C. - The eyes of the hockey world, and much of the greater sports world, have been glued to the 4 Nations Face-Off as NHLers from the U.S., Canada, Finland and Sweden have battled it out in the first men's best-on-best international action since 2016's World Cup of Hockey.

The tournament opened with a bang in Montreal last week before shifting to Boston for the final round-robin matchups earlier this week. After the U.S. clinched a spot in Thursday's championship game with a win over Canada in a box-office battle last Saturday, the Canadians became the first time aside from Team USA to record a regulation win on Monday, solidifying a rematch in the tournament's title fight.

With the group stage in the rearview, Jaccob Slavin (USA) and Seth Jarvis (CAN) are set to represent the Carolina Hurricanes in the championship, while Sebastian Aho and Mikko Rantanen helped Finland enjoy a rivalry win in round-robin play.

Slavin Showing Out In Red, White And Blue

Now in his 10th NHL season, Jaccob Slavin's defensive prowess is well-known around the hockey world. But, appearing on the international stage for the first time since the 2014 World Junior Championship, the Colorado native is turning even more heads in his country's colors.

With a +3 rating that ranks tied atop all defensemen in the tournament, Slavin leads Team USA in average time on ice with 21:31 through three contests. He shone brightest during Saturday's headliner, logging a game-high 25:36 and routinely stymieing the stars of Team Canada en route to a 3-1 victory.

Slavin's quiet demeanor belies his competitive nature, but with a trophy and national pride on the line in Thursday's rivalry rematch, look for another big outing from the Americans' steady star defender.

Jarvis Adapts In National Team Debut

Sporting the maple leaf for the first time since playing U18 hockey, Seth Jarvis was the first Hurricane to record a point at the tournament with an assist on Brad Marchand's first-period tally in Canada's opening contest, a thrilling 4-3 OT win over Sweden.

The Winnipeg, Man. native skated 11:07 in each of his team's first two outings, serving in his usual "all situations" role with ice time at even strength, on the penalty kill and even on the power play in Canada's clash with the U.S.

Jarvis was scratched from his team's final round-robin game on Monday but could be a valuable and versatile option as the Canadians seek a bounce-back effort against their rivals to the south on Thursday.

Aho, Rantanen Fight For Finland

Finland fell short of the tournament final but earned a key rivalry win over Sweden with help from a couple of Canes. After a late U.S. blitz left the Finns without a point in their first outing, Sebastian Aho and Mikko Rantanen linked up for a power-play goal in a back-and-forth battle against their Nordic foe en route to dealing the Swedes a second straight 4-3 OT loss.

The win gave Finland hope of reaching the championship, with Monday's round-robin finale against Canada serving as the decisive duel; a regulation-time victory for either country would put it through to Thursday's championship. Trailing 4-0 after 40 minutes, the Finns put together a three-goal run in the third, including another assist for Aho, but their valiant comeback bid came up just shy in the final moments.

Ranking second and third in ice time, respectively, among Finnish forwards during the 4 Nations Face-Off, Rantanen and Aho each wore A's as assistant captains for their country. Aho (2A) finished T-3rd on his team in points, while Rantanen joined Matthew Tkachuk (USA) and Nathan MacKinnon (CAN) as one of just three players to score a power-play goal during round-robin action.