Nathan MacKinnon #29 of Team Canada and Dylan Larkin #21 of Team United States face off at center … [+]
The 4 Nations Face-Off Championship Game is setting up to be the most watched and wagered hockey event in years. Canada and the United States team will settle the score Thursday night from TD Garden in Boston, where the fans excitement and engagement is reaching the players expected energy and effort.
Intensity on the Ice. Canada calls it “our game.” The United States says it’s “our time.”
For the millions of fans not in attendance, the must see TV title game is Feb. 20 with the opening face off and puck drop at 8pm ET (ESPN, ESPN+, Disney+, SN, TVAS).
Team USA opened as a slight favorite, but more interest in Canada has moved the betting line to pick 'em, -110 either side.
Leading online sportsbooks are saying they expect Canada/USA 4 Nations final to be the "most bet-on hockey game of the year."
New York-based FanDuel, a subsidiary of the world’s largest sports betting and gaming operator Flutter Entertainment, has a presence across all 50 states with approximately 17 million customers and 25 retail locations. That includes an office in Canada, where betting is booming on the 4 Nations Face-Off Championship Game.
The best-on-best tournament has featured four countries and 92 of the top players in the National Hockey League. Following six epic round-robin games, Canada and United States stars from the Eastern and Western conference will give us one more game of intense passion, energy and effort playing for their country and teammates.
“We’re going out there playing our game and then giving it everything and doing it for our country. We don’t need to initiate everything. We’re just going to play as hard as we can and do it for the flag on the chest.” – Team Canada forward Brandon Hagel.
“I think we’re all super excited, and it’s going to be an emotional game again" added U.S. defenseman Noah Hanifin. "Last Saturday was a pretty intense environment and intense game (USA 3, Canada 1), and we expect the same on Thursday.”
“I’m expecting the best environment I’ve ever played in on Thursday night and I’m so excited.” – Team USA forward Matthew Tkachuk.
“It’s a Game 7, right?” U.S. center Jack Eichel said. “It’s for everything. You’re going to see desperate hockey. You’re going to see everything you saw in the first game and more, I imagine. It’ll be great.”
“The player pool in the United States now is incredible,” USA general manager Bill Guerin said back in December
Forwards, #, NHL Team: Matt Boldy (12) Wild, Kyle Connor (81) Jets, Jack Eichel (9) Golden Knights, Jake Guentzek (59) Lightning, Jack Hughes (86) Devils, Chris Kreider (20) Rangers, Dylan Larkin (21) Red Wings, Auston Matthews (34), Maple Leafs, J.T. Miller (10) Rangers, Brock Nelson (29) Islanders, Brady Tkachuk (7) Senators, Matthew Tkachuk (19) Panthers, Vincent Trocheck (16) Rangers.
Defensemen: Brock Faber (14) Wild, Adam Fox (23) Rangers, Noah Hanifin (15) Golden Knights, Charlie McAvoy (25) Bruins, Jake Sanderson (85) Senators, Jaccob Slavin (74) Hurricanes, Zach Werenski (8) Blue Jackets.
Goalies: Connor Hellebuyck (37) Jets, Jake Oettinger (30) Stars, Jeremy Swayman (1) Bruins.
Coaches: Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan is head coach of the U.S. team with assistants John Hynes of the Minnesota Wild and John Tortorella of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Injury news: No update on captain Brady Tkachuk’s lower body injury, which kept him out of Team USA’s last game vs. Sweden for precautionary reasons against Sweden. He’ll play vs. Canada, as will Auston Matthews (upper body), who also sat out last game. But defenseman Charlie McAvoy (upper body) will miss the championship game vs. Canada. McAvoy is also the son-in-law of Team USA head coach Mike Sullivan.
"He’s a terrific hockey player and he’s a big part of this team," Sullivan said of McAvoy. "He's played extremely well through this tournament. When you lose players of that calibre, they're not easy to replace."
Forwards: Sam Bennett (9) Panthers, Anthony Cirelli (71) Lightning, Sidney Crosby (87) Penguins, Brandon Hagel (38) Lightning, Seth Jarvis (24) Hurricanes, Travis Konecny (11) Flyers, Nathan MacKinnon (29) Avalanche, Brad Marchand (63) Bruins, Mitch Marner (16) Maple Leafs, Connor McDavid (97) Oilers, Brayden Point (21) Lightning, Sam Reinhart (13) Panthers, Mark Stone (61) Golden Knights.
Defensemen: Drew Doughty (89) Kings, Thomas Harley (48) Stars, Cale Makar (8) Avalanche, Josh Morrissey (44) Jets, Colton Parayko (55) Blues, Travis Sanheim (6) Flyers, Shea Theodore (27) Golden Knights, Devon Toews (5) Avalanche
Goalies: Jordan Binnington (50) Blues, Adin Hill (33) Golden Knights, Sam Montembeault (35) Canadiens.
Canada goalie Jordan Binnington will try to help his team secure the championship over team USA on the same ice surface he won Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final in Boston's TD Garden.
Coaches: Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper is head coach of team Canada with assistants Bruce Cassidy of the Vegas Golden Knights, Peter DeBoer of the Dallas Stars, Rick Tocchet of the Vancouver Canucks and Misha Donskov of the Dallas Stars.
Injury replacement: Alex Pietrangelo (Golden Knights) for Canada. Also, Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore was injured and lost for the tournament in Canada’s opening game. Golden Knights forward William Karlsson (Sweden) also missed the tournament due to injury. More Golden Knights hockey coverage.
NHL players will also participate in the 2026 and 2030 Winter Olympics, marking their return after missing the 2018 and 2022 Games. Furthermore, the league plans to host the World Cup of Hockey in 2028 and 2032, continuing the tradition from the last edition held in 2016.
The 4 Nations Face-Off has been a thrilling showcase of hockey excellence, featuring top-tier players from four of the sport’s most passionate nations. The event was designed to transform international hockey competitions, and bring together the best talent from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States.
The epic Canada-USA championship clash will showcase the most watched and wagered hockey game of the season in the 4 Nations Face-Off title game.
You can bet on it.
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