Two winless teams desperately need a victory in the first rivalry game of the day.
Start time: **1:00 PM EST / 10:00 AM PST**
Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal
In Canada: Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French)
In the United States: ABC
Streaming: ESPN+ (USA), Sportsnet+ (CAN)
Sweden played a very good game versus Canada after it looked like they were going to get blown out by all the superstar talent early. They found a way to neutralize Canada’s speed and skill and came back to tie the game at three and get to overtime. They lost on a goal from Mitch Marner in the end, but did claim a point from the overtime loss that could prove important when it comes time to determine the two teams to play in the final.
Finland’s game went the other way versus Team USA on Thursday. They came out well and opened the scoring on a goal by defencemen Henri Jokiharju, and had the game at 2-1 for the Americans heading into the final period. Things unravelled quickly in the last 20 minutes for them, however, starting with two goals against in the opening 26 seconds and ending with them losing by a 6-1 score.
Saturday is rivalry day at the 4 Nations Face-Off with battles between neighbouring countries, and the players on both sides of this first game are just as interested in beating their opponent as Canada and the United States will be this evening. With no points, Finland needs the win to stay alive, but a win is critical for both teams involved, and that will add to what was already a fiery matchup.
