* The USA will be in Thursday’s 4 Nations Face-Off championship game but we will have to wait for Monday’s doubleheader in Boston to find out who will face them in the final – with Canada, Finland and Sweden all still in contention for the final spot.
* With a regulation win against Canada on Saturday, USA not only clinched a spot in the championship game on Thursday – the third time they have reached the final of an NHL International Tournament – but also first place in the round-robin portion of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
* After a riveting four games in Montreal, the 4 Nations Face-Off now shifts to TD Garden in Boston for the back half of the tournament, which includes a Presidents’ Day doubleheader on Monday that opens with Canada-Finland (1 p.m. ET) and closes with Sweden-USA (8 p.m. ET) – both on TNT, Max, truTV, Sportsnet and TVA Sports.
WHAT WE KNOW AND WHAT’S AT STAKE MONDAY
* USA have clinched a berth in the 4 Nations Face-Off final and first in the overall standings through the round-robin portion of the tournament.
* If either Canada or Finland earn a regulation win in Monday’s 1 p.m. ET game in Boston, they will advance to the final to face USA.
* If either Canada or Finland win Monday’s early game in overtime or shootout, there is still a path for that team or Sweden to make the final.
USA CLINCH 4 NATIONS FINAL BERTH WITH WIN OVER CANADA
In front of a raucous sellout crowd of 21,105 at Bell Centre in Montreal, charged even more after Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan (USA) and Montreal native, mixed martial arts legend Georges St-Pierre (CAN) introduced their home countries onto the ice, USA withstood a Connor McDavid goal in the first period and countered with three straight of their own to win in regulation and become the first team to clinch a spot in the 4 Nations Face-Off final on Thursday, Feb. 20, at TD Garden in Boston.
* After McDavid’s goal at 5:31 of the first period, Jake Guentzel (2-0—2), who is representing USA for the first time in his career and added a late empty netter, scored just 4:44 later to tie the score and set the stage for Dylan Larkin’s game-winning goal in the second period.
* Prior to Saturday, Larkin’s only other point at an NHL International Tournament was an assist on Johnny Gaudreau’s game-winning goal for Team North America vs. Finland at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. USA is presenting a Gaudreau jersey to its team-selected player of the game at 4 Nations Face-Off.
* Three of four games so far in the 4 Nations Face-Off have been comeback wins, including both USA victories (also Finland earlier Saturday). In the 2024-25 regular season, 43% of games have been comeback wins, tied for the second-highest rate at this stage of a season in NHL history (behind 44% in 2018-19 and 2005-06).
* This will be the third time USA will compete in the final of an NHL International Tournament after defeating Canada at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey (with Brady and Matthew Tkachuk’s father Keith on the roster) and losing to Canada in the final of the 1991 Canada Cup.
GRANLUND NETS OT WINNER TO KEEP FINLAND ALIVE
Saturday opened with a thrilling back-and-forth game between longtime rivals Finland and Sweden, with both countries looking for their first win of the tournament. The game saw three tying goals, including two by Finland with the 3-3 marker coming off the stick of captain Aleksander Barkov, before Mikael Granlund netted the OT winner 1:49 into the extra frame. The goal ensured his country would still have a shot to advance Monday when they face Canada (1 p.m. ET on TNT, Max, truTV, SN, TVAS).
* The 4 Nations Face-Off is the fifth time an NHL International Tournament has had multiple games that needed overtime. The others: 2016 World Cup of Hockey (3), 2004 World Cup of Hockey (2), 1996 World Cup of Hockey (2) and 1987 Canada Cup (2).
* Finland secured its first win against Sweden at an NHL International Tournament since a 3-1 victory in the 1991 Canada Cup round robin – a contest that included an assist from former Canadiens forward Mats Naslund, who was introduced to the roar of the Montreal crowd Saturday. Overall, Finland improved to 3-4-1 all-time against their rivals in NHL International Tournament play, including a tie the only other time the teams went to overtime (4-4 tie at 2004 World Cup of Hockey).
* Saturday’s Finland-Sweden game was the first NHL International Tournament contest with three tying goals since Game 1 of the 1996 World Cup of Hockey final between Canada and the United States (3).
* Granlund has dazzled fans globally for more than a decade – including an unforgettable lacrosse-style goal at the 2011 World Championship – which became a cultural sensation when a Finnish electronic music artist set announcer Antero Mertaranta's call of the play to music. The song, dubbed "Taivas Varjele," which translates to "Good heavens," reached No. 2 on Finland's singles chart.
4 NATIONS NUGGETS
A packed doubleheader of international best-on-best hockey provided a bevy of notes, including a sample below and even more in Saturday’s edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates.
* Connor McDavid reached a max skating speed of 22.67 mph, just before he entered the left circle, before scoring the game’s first goal. He ranks second in the NHL with 57 bursts of 22+ mph so far in the 2024-25 regular season, behind Canadian teammate Nathan MacKinnon (64).
* Canadiens forward and crowd favorite Patrik Laine (0-2—2) was the only player with multiple points in the Finland-Sweden contest, both of which came in the opening frame. He became the first Finnish player with a *multi-point game* at an NHL International Tournament since Kimmo Timonen (0-2—2 vs. Germany at 2004 WCH) and the first with a *multi-point period* since Ossi Vaananen (1-1—2 vs. Sweden at 2004 WCH).
* Each of Sweden’s last four NHL International Tournament games have required overtime dating to their loss against North America in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey round robin. Sweden has played in six of the 13 all-time NHL International Tournaments games that have required extra time, which marks the second-highest total among all teams behind Canada (8 GP).
* Kevin Lankinen, who manned Finland’s crease after Juuse Saros did so in their tournament opener Thursday, made 21 saves including one on Adrian Kempe just before the overtime winner. Lankinen is the only undrafted goaltender on a 4 Nations Face-Off roster and made his NHL debut two seasons after backstopping Finland to a gold medal at the 2019 World Championship.
QUICK CLICKS
* Ken Dryden, members of 1972 Canadian team in Montreal for 4 Nations
* Travis Dodson’s perserverance to be on display at Reeve Hockey Classic
* NFL star George Kittle hangs with Forsbergs at 4 Nations
* 4 Nations Fan Village opens in Boston
* 4 Nations Fan Village in Montreal brings back hockey memories
4 NATIONS FACE-OFF SHIFTS TO BOSTON FOR DOUBLEHEADER MONDAY
On Presidents’ Day Monday in Boston, we will find out who faces USA in the championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off where Boston fans will see many familiar faces and at least one Bruins player in each game.
* Pre-game notes will be published in #NHLStats: Live Updates on Sunday and a full preview of Monday’s games will be in the NHL Morning Skate on Monday morning.
* In the opening game (1 p.m. ET), Bruins captain Brad Marchand will look to help Canada earn a victory and a rematch with USA in the final. Marchand, no stranger to the international stage, scored in Canada’s opening win against Sweden on Wednesday and netted the championship-clinching goal in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
* In the final game of the round-robin portion of the tournament, USA’s Charlie McAvoy – who led all defensemen with five hits in the win over Canada on Saturday – and goaltender Jeremy Swayman (who has yet to dress) will face first-year Bruins forward Elias Lindholm and Sweden.
