4 Nations Preview And Lines: Sweden Vs Finland, Canada Vs USA

There will be a double dose of intense rivalries in Montreal on Saturday, as Team Finland is set to face Team Sweden, while Team Canada is scheduled to take on Team USA.

These will be the final 4 Nations Faceoff games played at the Bell Centre, with the action set to move to the Boston Gardens on Monday.

The Montreal Canadiens will be represented in the first game of the day by Joel Armia and Patrik Laine, as the Finns look to bounce back after a difficult outing versus the Americans. Finland held their own for two periods, but they couldn’t hold off a ferocious push by the Tkachuk brothers in the third that saw both Brady and Matthew finish the game with a pair of goals.

The game lacked the intensity we saw when Canada beat Sweden in overtime, but there’s absolutely no doubt Finland will go all out against their historic rivals.

As for Sweden, they started the tournament on the wrong foot, as evidenced by Nate MacKinnon’s powerplay goal less than a minute into Wednesday’s matchup. Canada held a 2-0 edge heading into the first intermission, but Sweden eventually answered with two goals in the third period to push the game to overtime, where Mitch Marner sealed the 3-2 win for the host nation.

Team Finland Projected Lineup

Lehkonen – Barkov – Ranttanen

Hintz – Aho – Laine

Luostarinen – Lundell – Granlund

Teravainen – Haula – Armia

Mikkola – Lindell

Maatta – Jokiharju

Vaakanainen – Matinpalo

Lankinen

Team Sweden Projected Lineup

Rakell – Zibanejad – Nylander

Forsberg – Pettersson – Kempe

Bratt – Eriksson Ek – Raymond

Arvidsson – Lindholm – Nyquist

Hedman – Brodin

Ekholm – Karlsson

Forsling – Dahlin

Gustavsson

How to Watch Team Finland vs. Team Sweden at the 4 Nations Faceoff, Saturday, February 15, 2025.

Sweden versus Finland will be aired on TVA Sports, Sportsnet, and ESPN, with the puck drop scheduled for 1 pm ET.

Even though Canada ended up beating Sweden in overtime, they only banked two points, while the Americans earned their win in regulation and were rewarded with three points. If the Americans win in regulation, they will automatically punch their ticket to Thursday’s final.

This is set to be the most intense preliminary game of the tournament, with both teams champing at the bit to beat their rival hockey superpower. Canada will have to be mindful of the Tkachuk factor, not to mention the Connor Hellebuyck factor. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner stopped 20 of the 21 shots he faced on Thursday versus Finland.

Jordan Binnington was mediocre in regulation versus Sweden, but was extraordinary once the game went to overtime. He finished the outing by making 23 saves on 26 shots, which was good enough to earn him the start versus the USA. It wouldn’t be overly surprising if Canadiens starter Samuel Montembeault is called-upon to serve as the backup goaltender.

As for the Americans, they’re clearly the team to beat in this tournament. That’s not to say Canada won’t make any noise with their impressive cast of All-Star players, but Team USA has all the momentum in their corner.

The top six is particularly talented, with the Tkachuk brothers driving the charge alongside Jack Eichel on the first line, while Auston Matthews anchors the second line with Jake Guentzel and Jack Hughes.

Team Canada Projected Lineup

Reinhart – McDavid – Marner

Crosby – MacKinnon  – Stone

Hagel – Cirelli – Point

Marchand – Bennett – Jarvis

Toews – Makar*

Morrissey – Parayko

Sanheim – Doughty

Binnington

Team USA Projected Lineup

Tkachuk – Eichel – Tkachuk

Guentzel – Matthews – Hughes

Boldy – Miller – Larkin

Connor – Trochek – Nelson

Werenski – McAvoy

Slavin – Faber

Hanifin – Fox

Hellebuyck

How to Watch Team USA vs. Team Canada at the 4 Nations Faceoff, Saturday, February 15, 2025.

Canada versus the United States will be aired on TVA Sports, Sportsnet, and ESPN, with the puck drop scheduled for 8 pm ET.

4 Nations Faceoff projected lineups via Daily Faceoff.