The United States stands atop the 4 Nations Face-Off standings through two games after routing Finland 6-1 on Thursday night. Canada sits in second after their overtime victory against Sweden a day prior. Four contests remain in the round-robin stage, and we will see compelling storylines in each of them, from teammates facing off against one another to brothers thriving on the same line for the first time in their professional careers.
Related: Guide to the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off
No matter how you cut it up, Thursday’s final at Boston’s TD Garden should be must-watch hockey. Most North American fans are undoubtedly hoping to see the United States play Canada, a rematch of what should be a hard-fought matchup on Saturday where the American team has a chance to clinch a spot in that coveted Thursday night game. Let’s take a look at the three most compelling potential finals matchups.
3. Sweden vs. Finland
While this contest would be to the dismay of the North American fans in Canada and the United States, this rivalry may be just as bitter as the one between the two other countries in the tournament. Speaking on Saturday’s matchup against Finland, Swedish forward Filip Forsberg said, “I mean, it’s going to be a lot of fun… it’s a rivalry that goes back to medieval times, pretty much.” This combination of teams is perhaps the most unlikely out of any, as Sweden sits with one point and Finland currently has zero, but if it were to end up being these two in the final, the game would be physical and hard-fought. Nashville Predators fans would keep a close eye on this contest, as Forsberg would be facing off against his own goalie in Juuse Saros and fans from Stockholm to Helsinki would be up late watching as the game would conclude right around the crack of dawn in the two Nordic countries.
2. Canada vs. Sweden
Man would Sweden like to get another crack at the Canadians. Wednesday’s matchup looked like it was on its way to be lopsided after 20 minutes. Less than a minute into the game, Canada’s power play, which looked like a well-oiled machine, was able to score. Brad Marchand followed it up just over 10 minutes later. The Swedes looked like they did not have an answer to Canada’s high-powered forward group. Things turned around over the final 40 minutes of regulation, however. Jonas Brodin got Sweden on the board at the beginning of the second. Even after Mark Stone put the Canadians up 3-1, the…
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