The 4 Nations Face-Off has come and gone and vasty exceeded any expectations that were set on it. The viewership was through the roof for NHL standards and the rivalries between the four countries aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
While Team Canada walked away as winners of yet another international hockey tournament, which players from the tournaments impressed and which ones were a huge letdown? Here are the winners and losers of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
People close to the Carolina Hurricanes or who follow hockey closely know Jaccob Slavin is one of the best defensive defensemen in the NHL. His performance on the international stage may have solidified his spot as the top shutdown blue liner without any questions asked.
In each game of the tournament, Slavin stood tall on Team USA’s back end, coming up with nine total blocked shots. He made a few key blocks and in the championship game against Canada, even if the United States ended up on the losing end.
Jaccob Slavin is an ELITE defenseman 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/y3JX1hSZfo
Slavin showed that he was a crucial piece of defense for the United States and will continue to be a cornerstone piece in the Hurricanes lineup.
There are plenty of people eating a huge plate of crow in the wake of this tournament, and it all stems from criticizing Team Canada’s goalie decisions. Jordan Binnington didn’t seem anywhere near the proper choice to be on the Canadian roster, let alone as the starter in each game.
Not only did Binnington show up in the critical situations, but he also stood on his head in the overtime period of the championship game. He faced six shots in the overtime, including three golden opportunities from one of the NHL’s best goal scorers in Auston Matthews. Binnington stopped them all.
Binnington may have allowed a tournament worst 10 goals, but he was a wall when he needed to be most.
Team Finland didn’t make the championship game, but one of the newest members of the Dallas Stars impressed big time. Mikael Granlund finished the tournament with three goals and an assist for four points in just three games played.
Granlund’s first goal was a huge overtime game-winner over rival Sweden to keep Finland alive in the tournament. His next two came about 20 seconds apart in the dying minutes against Canada. Finland was losing by three, but two goals in 23 seconds from Granlund helped make it a one-goal game.
Finland ended up losing the game to Canada, but Granlund impressed many and will look to carry that momentum as he heads back to Dallas what could very well be a successful Stanley Cup run.
Team Sweden, the Vancouver Canucks, and Elias Pettersson all needed Elias Pettersson to stand out at the 4 Nations Face-Off. In three games, Pettersson failed to record a point and recorded just two shots on goal.
In Sweden’s final game of the tournament, Pettersson was benched for a good majority of the third period. He finished the game with under 10 minutes of ice time.
Pettersson has struggled ever since signing an eight-year contract worth $11.6 million annually. The 4 Nations Face-Off was supposed to be a reset for Pettersson, but it ended up being much of the same.
Mikko Rantanen just hasn’t been the same player since being traded to the Hurricanes. After scoring 25 goals in 49 games with the Colorado Avalanche, Rantanen was moved to the Hurricanes where things have gotten rocky.
Team Finland felt the effects of Rantanen’s tough stretch with just one goal in the entire tournament. It was a big power play goal to give the Fins and early lead over rival Sweden, but he didn’t do much else in three games played.
Much like Pettersson, there was hope the tournament could help get Rantanen back on track following his trade. It looks like Rantanen is heading back to Carolina still trying to find a rhythm.
This one is unfortunate because it’s not like Auston Matthews displayed his usual disappearing act when the lights are the brightest. In winner-take-all games, Matthews routinely struggles.
Matthews did record primary assists on both of Team USA’s goals in the championship game, but they were both originally his shot attempts that ended up on another player’s stick. To his credit, that’s still huge for his team, but he failed to score a single goal in the tournament.
Matthews had multiple chances to win gold for the United States in overtime and put an end to the ghost narrative, but Binnington wouldn't be beat.
JORDAN BINNINGTON MY GOODNESS 😱 #4Nations
🇺🇸: @espn & @ESPNPlus ➡️ https://t.co/S5tPrXCygm
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/EPFCUVyZ48
Coming off a 2023-24 season where he recorded 69 goals with the Toronto Maple Leafs, you’d think Matthews would light it up on the world stage. A three-time Rocket Richard winner, one of the NHL’s best goal-scorers didn’t score one goal.
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Nick Horwat is a contributor with Breakaway On SI. He was previously a credentialed reporter for The Hockey News covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A Pittsburgh native, Nick graduated from Point Park University and started reporting on news and sports with KDKA Radio and 93.7 The Fan. After hosting a Penguins talk radio show in college, he morphed the show into a podcast. The Tip of the Ice-Burgh Podcast has been a leading Penguins podcast since 2019. Follow him on Twitter @NickHorwat41.
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