We’ve reached the Saturday feature of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
After Sweden and Finland play during the afternoon, Canada and the United States will meet in the most anticipated head-to-head of the tournament. The crowd in Montreal will certainly be on Canada’s side, but the Americans are favoured by many to come out on top.
Game Information
- Start Time: 6:00 PM MT
- Location: Bell Centre, Montreal, Canada
- Watch: Sportsnet (Canada), ABC (USA)
Line Combinations
Canada
The big question for Canada is whether Cale Makar will suit up. The former Norris Trophy winner is listed as a game-time decision because of an illness despite participating in the team’s practice on Saturday morning. If Makar isn’t able to play, Tomas Harley of the Dallas Stars will step in and fill his spot on Canada’s blueline.
Not having Makar would be a significant blow to Canada’s defence, who already lost Shea Theodore to injury during their opening game against Sweden on Wednesday. Travis Sanheim of the Philadelphia Flyers will play on the third pairing with veteran Drew Doughty in Theodore’s absence.
Starting in net for Canada will again be Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues. The 2019 Stanley Cup winner turned aside 23 of 26 shots in the team’s win over Sweden.
Sam Reinhart – Connor McDavid – Mitch Marner
Sidney Crosby – Nathan MacKinnon – Mark Stone
Brandon Hagel – Anthony Cirelli – Brayden Point
Brad Marchand – Sam Bannett – Seth Jarvis
Devon Toews – Cale Makar
Josh Morrissey – Colton Parayko
Travis Sanheim – Drew Doughty
Jordan Binnington
Adin Hill
United States
The USA will start their game against Canada with the same line combinations that buried four goals against Finland in the third period of a 6-1 victory on Thursday. Brady and Matthew Tkachuk both scored two goals in the win and Jack Eichel picked up two assists playing as their centre.
We don’t yet know who will be starting in net for the USA against Canada. Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, the leading candidate for this season’s Vezina Trophy, stopped 20 of 21 shots in the team’s win over Finland.
Brady Tkachuk – Jack Eichel – Matthew Tkachuk
Jake Guentzel – Auston Matthews – Jack Hughes
Matt Boldy – J.T. Miller – Dylan Larkin
Kyle Connor – Vincent Trocheck – Brock Nelson
Zach Werenski – Charlie McAvoy
Jaccob Slavin – Brock Faber
Noah Hanifin – Adam Fox
Connor Hellebuyck
Jake Oettinger
Tournament Format and Rules
This is an unusually short international tournament with just four teams and seven games in total. Unlike the Olympics or World Championship, which features a group stage followed by a three-round playoff format, this one is simple: Record as many points as possible in three games. The two teams with the most points after Monday’s round-robin finale will advance to Thursday’s championship game and there will not be a bronze medal bout.
The 4 Nations Face-Off will follow a more traditional international point structure rather than the NHL’s format. A regulation win will award a team three points, an overtime/shootout victory will pay two, and an overtime loss will result in one. That means a perfect 3-0-0-0 record will give a team nine points.
The NHL features five minutes of 3-on-3 overtime with a shootout if needed. At the 4 Nations Face-Off, extra time will be extended to 10 minutes, and then a shootout if needed. If overtime is required during the championship game, it will follow NHL playoff rules: 20 minutes of 5-on-5 hockey until someone scores.
Full Tournament Schedule
- Wednesday, Feb. 12: Canada vs. Sweden in Montreal, 6:00 PM MT
- Thursday, Feb. 13: USA vs. Finland in Montreal, 6:00 PM MT
- Saturday, Feb. 15: Finland vs. Sweden in Montreal, 11:00 AM MT
- Saturday, Feb. 15: USA vs. Canada in Montreal, 6:00 PM MT
- Monday, Feb. 17: Canada vs. Finland in Boston, 11:00 AM MT
- Monday, Feb. 17: Sweden vs. USA in Boston, 6:00 PM MT
- Thursday, Feb. 20: Championship game in Boston, 6:00 PM MT
