4 Nations Faceoff

[J5V]

Canada's first game is tomorrow against Sweden. Could be an interesting tournament, could be a dud. I'm not sure what to make of this. Seems odd not to have Russia in it.

[blue_gold_84]

Russia can eat all the richards.

I'm pretty meh about this tourney, but maybe it'll be good. All four teams look pretty solid on paper.

[blue_or_die]

I might check it out due to football being done and hockey on pause, but I just wanted to see the Jets continue to roll. If there's effort like you see in the Olympics it could be really great, but if we just see an all-star tournament with flags on jerseys, it will be a waste of time.

[J5V]

I might check it out due to football being done and hockey on pause, but I just wanted to see the Jets continue to roll. If there's effort like you see in the Olympics it could be really great, but if we just see an all-star tournament with flags on jerseys, it will be a waste of time.

Curious to see how Helle, Morrissey, and the boys make out.

[Jockitch]

Certainly interested to see the competitive skills and puck speed but really don't anticipate an all-star vibe
Sure I will have more rah rahs for the Canadian team and of course JMo but can't help and cheer heavily for our true Sniper in Connor and our amazing star HellB

[J5V]

Certainly interested to see the competitive skills and puck speed but really don't anticipate an all-star vibe
Sure I will have more rah rahs for the Canadian team and of course JMo but can't help and cheer heavily for our true Sniper in Connor and our amazing star HellB

I hear ya but, geez, if we can't beat Russia to win it we'll just have to settle for beating the U.S. of A.   

[Jesse]

Super meh about this tournament.

[blue_gold_84]

Super meh about this tournament.

Four teams is just so lame and underwhelming.

[Pigskin]

I have some mild interest. Canada/USA is a game I will watch.

[dd]

Not sure why everyone is so down on this mini tourney, it replaces the bogus shinny/allstar game in which nobody tries in/plays any type of defense. Its a joke and I haven't watched it in years/decades. That game is a joke to me.

Will I watch the best of Canada, US, Sweden and Finland play, you bet. US vs Canada is always big in any sport. You can bet there will be more intensity and 2 way efforts going on in these games than the laugher allstar game. The league is trying to sell the game, and why not try something new vs watch them fly unabated and unchecked up and down the ice, as that isn't hockey at all.

[J5V]

If you watched that game tonight and were not entertained, well, I can't understand why. That was terrific hockey by some of the very best players in the world. A real nail biter won by Canada in overtime. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Finland vs U.S.A. tomorrow night. That might be a beauty also. Then it'll be followed by Canada vs U.S.A. on Saturday night. I can't wait!

[blue_gold_84]

Watched the highlights. Pretty good game, but Binnington needs to settle down a bit between the pipes.

Crosby's still got it.

[Pigskin]

Theodore out with a wrist injury.

[J5V]

Theodore out with a wrist injury.

Yes, very unfortunate injury on what looked to be a routine check along the boards. Canada was challenged most of the game with only 5 x D-men. Coop did a good job managing the team through some adversity.

Beauty goal in overtime by Marner on a perfect shot inside the post, under the bar. Crosby was incredible, as was MacKinnon. McDavid looked good also and showed good jump all game. Reinhardt with a defensive gem blocking a very dangerous pass in overtime. They played well considering how short a time they've been together.

[Jockitch]

Geez that was a terrific start to this little tournament
Sweden really got their act going and were great opponents
Congrats to JMo banging on the boards and showing his skills

McD and McK were absolutely flying around and along with so many other fans I truly enjoyed Crosby
Meanwhile, my wish list still has me drooling to see Konechny in a Jet unis

[blue_gold_84]

Meanwhile, my wish list still has me drooling to see Konechny in a Jet unis

Why?

[Pigskin]

Sanheim in for Theodore.

[J5V]

Well, that U.S.A. vs Finland game wasn't as close as the Canada vs Sweden game. The Finns scored the first goal early and that was it for them. They hung in there and kept it a 1-1 game late into the second period but in the third the U.S. pulled away easily. The Finns must have felt overwhelmed but they just couldn't match the U.S. fire power.

If Sweden beats the Finns on Saturday afternoon it's going to put a lot of pressure on Canada to beat the U.S. Canada will have their hands full on Saturday night.

[blue_gold_84]

Hellebuyck with that .958 SV%, though.

[theaardvark]

It wasn't the Finns not being competitive, its Helly vs. Soros... and Soros sucked.  Once they get that second goal, the floodgates opened.

[blue_gold_84]

https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/canada-granted-permission-to-bring-in-thomas-harley-amid-cale-makar-illness-1.2252773

Losing Makar would be pretty bad.

[Jesse]

https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/canada-granted-permission-to-bring-in-thomas-harley-amid-cale-makar-illness-1.2252773

Losing Makar would be pretty bad.

Just more minutes for Norrissey.

[Pigskin]

Therdore and now maybe Makar. Not good.

[Pigskin]

Sounds like Bennett in, Konecny out.

[J5V]

https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/canada-granted-permission-to-bring-in-thomas-harley-amid-cale-makar-illness-1.2252773

Losing Makar would be pretty bad.

I just hate that the Jets have to face that guy every time we play the AVs. It's bad enough dealing with MacKinnon. It just doesn't seem fair that they also get a player like Makar.

If he can't go against the U.S. tomorrow that's a huge break for the Americans. Even if he does play, chances are he won't be 100%. Tough break for Canada.

[J5V]

We're going to need to keep the Americans to the outside and plug up the neutral zone. I'm hoping Cooper has some strategies for dealing with the physicality the Americans are going to bring with the Tkachuks, especially in front of the net. We need to stay out of the penalty box and hopefully our speed can stress their D and maybe yield some PP time.

[Pigskin]

Makar skated this morning.  Finland with a big win over Sweden in OT.

[J5V]

Makar is out. Bummer.

[J5V]

Oh wow! Connor McDavid at 5:31 with the opening goal! 1-0 Canada!

[J5V]

No Makar (sickness), no Theodore (injury), and there's no way Crosby is 100%, he's losing a lot of puck battles.

[theaardvark]

No one is beating the US with Helly in net...  sorry.

[dd]

wow, that was quite the start to the game. 3 fights in 9 seconds!!

Wicked goal by McDavid, clearly the best player on the ice in this tournament.

[Pigskin]

Yes, 210 lb. Mathew Thachuk going after 180 lb. Hagel. Hero Move. His brother is no better. Brady should have stepped up and fought Parayko, more in his weight class.

Canada goaltending is a little weak. Advance the US. Other then that I thought that Canada was the better team in the first and third period. I expect Canada will have there hands full with Finland. 

[dd]

Ya, can't say I care for either Thachuk, both are D bags in my books.

Binnington is soft in goal, 1st US goal was a routine shot commonly saved by most goalies. Not sure why he's in the pipes, they should swap him out, not sure who's next in line, but gotta be better than that.

[Pigskin]

Might need a little shake up on some of our lines. Reinhart and Stone, have NOT been impressive.

[J5V]

Man oh man! As happy and relieved as I am with the win in regulation time how do you give up 3 goals in the final minutes to hang on for the win by your finger nails? Those 3 goals late by the Finns destroyed any sense of confidence I had that we could win a rematch with the Americans.

I wonder what the atmosphere was like in the Canadian locker room after that terrifying end to the game.

[Pigskin]

Canada played an excellent 50 minutes. Fell asleep for the most of the last 10 of the game. Liked the lines tonight. Thought Reinhart played much better.

[Jockitch]

The lads hung on and Canada is now in the final

Keep up the outstanding work JMo

[J5V]

No Hellebuyck for the U.S. tonight, Oettinger in. Resting him?

No Austin Matthews, no Matthew Tkachuk, no McAvoy, all injuries. Now Brady Tkachuk is out with an injury after crashing into the net. Yikes!

[blue_gold_84]

D McAvoy out for final: https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/charlie-mcavoy-will-not-play-for-team-usa-in-4-nations-face-off-final-1.2253920

[Pigskin]

D McAvoy out for final: https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/charlie-mcavoy-will-not-play-for-team-usa-in-4-nations-face-off-final-1.2253920

Americans are a little beat up. I guess the physical play had a toll on them.

[ModAdmin]

Quinn Hughes will play for the USA.  He is a force to reckon with.

[blue_gold_84]

Quinn Hughes will play for the USA.  He is a force to reckon with.

He isn't eligible to practice or play unless another defenseman gets injured first.

[ModAdmin]

He isn't eligible to practice or play unless another defenseman gets injured first.

"USA defenceman Charlie McAvoy will miss the championship game after being admitted to hospital for tests related to an upper-body injury suffered at the tournament."

[blue_gold_84]

"USA defenceman Charlie McAvoy will miss the championship game after being admitted to hospital for tests related to an upper-body injury suffered at the tournament."

https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/hughes-unavailable-barring-injury-usa-expects-matthews-and-tkachuks-to-play-in-4-nations-final-1.2253984

The move to put Hughes on standby comes after the Boston Bruins announced Charlie McAvoy will not play in the championship game. Based on the criteria that saw Thomas Harley play for Team Canada on Saturday against the Americans, a team must drop below six defencemen to add a replacement. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed that is the case for Team USA.

Hughes "is not 'in' unless someone else is definitely 'out' due to injury or illness. Can't practice with the team or play until that happens," Daly told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun.

Team USA still has 6D on its active roster; Hughes is basically a call-up on standby.

[Pigskin]

I don't think Quinn is 100%. He was dealing with an injury just a few weeks ago.

[Pigskin]

The only player I am worried about is Helle. Get lots of traffic in front of him and jump on the rebounds.

[dd]

This game, like all big games, will come down to goaltending. Binnington has got to bring his A+ game to match Helle, will be an absolute dandy game!!

[Jockitch]

As HellB isn't very acrobatic, somehow the Canadian lads have to get him lunging.
He tends to do this when the side to side motion of the puck gets him off balance occasionally

Hoping for no injuries to JMo, who's been great, Connor, who has been a bit lost and of course HellB.   

[dd]

No one is beating the US with Helly in net...  sorry.

Connor McDavid and Team Canada say hi!!

[theaardvark]

Connor McDavid and Team Canada say hi!!

Couldn't be happier being wrong.  Helly played great, perfect shots beat him.

Binnington robbed them a handful of times, especially in overtime.  Well done.

[Pigskin]

Big win for Canada. Beating the US in there backyard, priceless. JB was outstanding all night long.  To bad JM44 had to miss this game.

[blue_gold_84]

Great game last night and an awesome win for Canada - for ***gestures broadly*** so many reasons.

Pumped for the 2026 Olympics!

[peg_city]

That almost made up for the Grey Cup loss for me.

[Jockitch]

Such a battle, eventually won by our CANADA lads

Goalies were both terrific and the game, and for me the Tournament, all exceeded expectations

Chevy and other GM's must have been dreaming of potential trades that might turn their team into a fantasy of Stanley Cup warriors

[blue_gold_84]

That almost made up for the Grey Cup loss for me.

Which one?

[dd]

Big win for Canada. Beating the US in there backyard, priceless. JB was outstanding all night long.  To bad JM44 had to miss this game.

Kyle Connor sat out for the US squad as well....they missed his speed and scoring touch

[peg_city]

Which one?

This year

[theaardvark]

We, in no way, dominated that game.  We scored one more in overtime, so yes, we won the game, in hostile territory.  But only because Binnington stood on his hear, and our snipers knew they had to go high on Helly, and were able to.

I am not confident for the Olympics.  Don't get me wrong, I think our players have the heart and talent to win any game they play.  But we can't count on the bounces going our way, and our goalie making repeated game saving plays.

Binnington should have been the player of the game/tournament.

[Jesse]

That almost made up for the Grey Cup loss for me.

Wow. I didn't even watch this tournament.

A made up event by the NHL because they don't want to participate in the Olympics.

[blue_gold_84]

Wow. I didn't even watch this tournament.

A made up event by the NHL because they don't want to participate in the Olympics.

I mean, all sporting events are technically made-up. The format of only four teams is what I didn't really like, but the championship game the other night was some pretty incredible hockey.

And NHL players will be going to the Olympics next year. This tournament was a replacement for the ASG.

[Jesse]

I mean, all sporting events are technically made-up. The format of only four teams is what I didn't really like, but the championship game the other night was some pretty incredible hockey.

And NHL players will be going to the Olympics next year. This tournament was a replacement for the ASG.

Yes, but a tournament like the World Junior Championship has history and records.

These made up tournaments with different participants and rules every few years... it's hard for me to care. If they go through with a true World Cup and it's performed at regular intervals over decades, then it'll gain some meaning.

[peg_city]

Wow. I didn't even watch this tournament.

A made up event by the NHL because they don't want to participate in the Olympics.

They are moving forward.

It was quite a good tournament, considering the USA/Canada relations at the moment. Biggest Canada hockey moment since 2010.

[theaardvark]

Four teams was weak, but it allowed for rest between games, and they needed it.  Bet most teams ran out of ice, especially US and CAN.

It wasn't because they didn't want to go to the Olympics, but as  a warm up during the 4 years between.  And replaces the uber lame All Star game.

Finland was outmatched, and many players from Europe were excluded.  I get the National Pride on the line, for sure, but can't they make it:

Canada
USA
Nordic (Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark)
Europe or World (everyone else, including Russia)

Do the CAN/US teams have "more to play for"?  Would Europe have too much talent to draw from?

4 corners of the globe... 

[Jesse]

They are moving forward.

It was quite a good tournament, considering the USA/Canada relations at the moment. Biggest Canada hockey moment since 2010.

Some people seem to think that. It's just a big ol' "meh" from me.

[Jesse]

It wasn't because they didn't want to go to the Olympics, but as  a warm up during the 4 years between.  And replaces the uber lame All Star game.
 

According to the press release, sure.

[dd]

Some people seem to think that. It's just a big ol' "meh" from me.

Wow, can't believe how down you are this. The Allstar game was brutal, I haven't watched that for years, decades even. It's a laugher game that nobody cares about and the poor goalies are hung out to dry.

I'd like to see the viewing stats and how many people in Canada watched the final game, won in OT no less. You have to be the only one I know of who didn't watch it or care.

[J5V]

I loved the result of this game and that snipe by McDavid was world class. No goalie is stopping that perfectly placed wrist shot. Not even Binnington.

The ring around the boards to Marner by Makar demonstrated how smart Makar is -- it was a play that pulled Fox out of position and confused Matthews which was key.

The pass by Marner to McDavid to evade a confused Matthew's stick had to be immediate and had to have some mustard on it. It was perfect!

McDavid's catch of the hot Marner pass was skillfull and McDavid's release of the shot from the high slot was a blistering wrist shot catching the corner of the net on Hellebuyck's glove side.

Three consecutive high-skill plays by three highly skilled players that must have been an incredible luxury for a head coach to put out on the ice together in the biggest moment of the tournament.

And just like that Canada is once again on top of the best-on-best hockey world.