The 4 Nations Face-Off got underway in dramatic fashion Wednesday as Canada topped Sweden 4-3 in overtime to begin the round-robin tournament.
Canada captain Sidney Crosby assisted on three of the country’s goals, including on Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner’s game-winning tally in overtime. Crosby became the fifth different player to register three primary assists in a game at an international tournament and the first since Sweden’s Peters Forsberg accomplished the feat during the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.
Canada raced out to a 3-1 lead before Sweden’s Adrian Kempe and Joel Eriksson Ek scored goals in the third period to tie the game to force overtime.
Due to the game going to overtime, Canada was only able to earn two points, while Sweden earned one.
Team USA picked up a massive win in its first game with a 6-1 romp over Finland. Now, the Americans are set for the biggest game of pool play when they take on the Canadians on Saturday night in Montreal.
Each team will play three games and the top two teams will face off in a winner-take-all championship game. The national teams will earn three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime or shootout win, one point for an overtime or shootout loss, and no points for a regulation loss.
Much like the NHL, the 4 Nations Face-Off will have a 3-on-3 sudden death overtime period. However, the game will be decided in a 10-minute overtime period rather the NHL’s five minutes. If the teams are still tied following the overtime session, a three-round shootout will decide a winner. In the championship game, overtime will take place in the traditional playoff format with 5-on-5 hockey in consecutive 20-minute periods until a winner is decided.
Below are the 4 Nations Face-Off schedule, rosters and how to watch the tournament.
- Wednesday, Feb. 12: Canada 4, Sweden 3 (OT)
- Thursday, Feb. 13: USA 6, Finland, 1
- Saturday, Feb. 15: Finland 4, Sweden 3 (OT)
- Saturday, Feb. 15: USA vs. Canada, 8 p.m. | ABC I Bell Centre
- Monday, Feb. 17: Canada vs. Finland, 1 p.m. | TNT I TD Garden
- Monday, Feb. 17: Sweden vs. USA, 8 p.m. | TNT I TD Garden
- Thursday, Feb. 20: Championship game, 8 p.m. | ESPN I TD Garden
Where to watch the 4 Nations Face-Off
When: Feb. 12-20
Where: Bell Centre — Montreal, Quebec, Canada; TD Garden — Boston, Massachusetts
TV: ABC, ESPN, TNT
Stream: fubo (try for free)
Rosters
Canada
- Captain: Sidney Crosby (Penguins)
- Assistant Captains: Connor McDavid (Oilers), Cale Makar (Avalanche)
- Forwards: Sam Bennett (Panthers), Anthony Cirelli (Lightning), Sidney Crosby (Penguins), Brandon Hagel (Lightning), Seth Jarvis (Hurricanes), Travis Konecny (Flyers), Nathan MacKinnon (Avalanche), Brad Marchand (Bruins), Mitch Marner (Maple Leafs), Connor McDavid (Oilers), Brayden Point (Lightning), Sam Reinhart (Panthers), Mark Stone (Golden Knights)
- Defensemen: Drew Doughty (Kings), Cale Makar (Avalanche), Josh Morrissey (Jets), Colton Parayko (Blues), Travis Sanheim (Flyers), Shea Theodore (Golden Knights), Devon Toews (Avalanche)
- Goaltenders: Jordan Binnington (Blues), Adin Hill (Golden Knights), Sam Montembeault (Canadiens)
Finland
- Captain: Aleksander Barkov (Panthers)
- Assistant Captains: Sebastian Aho (Hurricanes), Mikael Granlund (Sharks), Mikko Rantanen (Hurricanes)
- Forwards: Sebastian Aho (Hurricanes), Joel Armia (Canadiens), Aleksander Barkov (Panthers), Mikael Granlund (Sharks), Erik Haula (Devils), Roope Hintz (Stars), Kaapo Kakko (Kraken), Patrik Laine (Canadiens), Artturi Lehkonen (Avalanche), Anton Lundell (Panthers), Eetu Luostarinen (Panthers), Mikko Rantanen (Hurricanes), Teuvo Teravainen (Blackhawks)
- Defensemen: Henri Jokiharju (Sabres), Esa Lindell (Stars), Niko Mikkola (Panthers), Olli Maatta (Utah Hockey Club), Rasmus Ristolainen (Flyers), Juuso Valimaki (Utah Hockey Club), Urho Vaakanainen (Rangers)
- Goaltenders: Kevin Lankinen (Canucks), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Sabres), Juuse Saros (Predators)
Sweden
- Captain: Victor Hedman (Lightning)
- Assistant Captains: Mattias Ekholm (Oilers), Erik Karlsson (Penguins), William Nylander (Maple Leafs)
- Forwards: Viktor Arvidsson (Oilers), Jesper Bratt (Devils), Leo Carlsson (Ducks), Joel Eriksson Ek (Wild), Filip Forsberg (Predators), Rickard Rakell (Penguins), Adrian Kempe (Kings), Elias Lindholm (Bruins), William Nylander (Maple Leafs), Gustav Nyquist (Predators), Elias Pettersson (Canucks), Lucas Raymond (Red Wings), Mika Zibanejad (Rangers)
- Defensemen: Rasmus Andersson (Flames), Jonas Brodin (Wild), Rasmus Dahlin (Sabres), Mattias Ekholm (Oilers), Gustav Forsling (Panthers), Victor Hedman (Lightning), Erik Karlsson (Penguins)
- Goaltenders: Samuel Ersson (Flyers), Filip Gustavsson (Wild), Linus Ullmark (Senators)
United States
- Captain: Auston Matthews (Maple Leafs)
- Assistant Captains: Charlie McAvoy (Bruins), Matthew Tkachuk (Panthers)
- Forwards: Matt Boldy (Wild), Kyle Connor (Jets), Jack Eichel (Golden Knights), Jake Guentzel (Lightning), Jack Hughes (Devils), Chris Kreider (Rangers), Dylan Larkin (Red Wings), Auston Matthews (Maple Leafs), J.T. Miller (Canucks), Brock Nelson (Islanders), Brady Tkachuk (Senators), Matthew Tkachuk (Panthers), Vincent Trocheck (Rangers)
- Defensemen: Brock Faber (Wild), Adam Fox (Rangers), Noah Hanifin (Golden Knights), Charlie McAvoy (Bruins), Jake Sanderson (Senators), Jaccob Slavin (Hurricanes), Zach Werenski (Blue Jackets)
- Goaltenders: Connor Hellebuyck (Jets), Jake Oettinger (Stars), Jeremy Swayman (Bruins)
KVSP