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 Swedes were able to answer with goals from Adrian Kempe and Joel Eriksson Ek in the third to force overtime. Though Mitch Marner ended the game with four minutes to go in the extra frame, the final 50 minutes of play looked far more even than most were expecting. If this matchup were to happen again, it would be interesting to see if the game would look like the first 20 minutes of Wednesday’s contest or the last 45.
1. USA vs. Canada
Any surprise here? These two North American powerhouses would be facing off for the second time in five days if this were to be the final. Saturday’s round-robin matchup is one of the most anticipated hockey games in recent memory: this being a final matchup would add that much more anticipation to the contest.
The United States and Canada have been rivals forever, however the matchup(s) between these countries seem bigger this week. It is the first time we have had best-on-best hockey in nine years, and the United States team likely feels that they should be the favorite against their counterparts in the North, something that could not be said in years prior. There is also an added layer of political tension, where we saw fans at the Bell Centre in Montreal booing the Star-Spangled Banner ahead of the American matchup with Finland – boos that will likely ring ever louder on Saturday night.
On the ice, this matchup has just about everything you could hope for. Canada’s power play that, on paper, looks like one of the best ever assembled. Matthew and Brady Tkachuk playing alongside one another in a line that has been unstoppable thus far. Teammates like Marchand and Charlie McAvoy, Marner and Auston Matthews, and Jack Eichel and Stone facing off against one another. A matchup between these two countries would be far and away the most exciting contest out of any possible final.
Exciting Possibilities
While these three matchups would likely be the most anticipated out of any, you really cannot go wrong with any combination between these four countries. Sweden and Canada gave us a thrilling matchup to start the tournament, and we will undoubtedly see more hockey over the coming days that will keep us on the edge of our seats. While the two North American teams would be the most exciting matchup for the final, Thursday night’s game will be must-watch television regardless of who ends up in it.
