With both of these teams defeating Sweden, a regulation win for either of them would mean facing off (pun intended) against the United States in the championship round. The favorites showed up in this one, as Canada knocked off Finland in a 5-3 decision.
Just 46 seconds apart, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon got on the board for Canada in the opening frame. Brayden Point added another, quickly putting this one in blowout territory. The second and third periods were a bit calmer for the most part, as MacKinnon struck at the 5:03 mark in the second and Finland’s Esa Lindell took approximately 28 minutes to respond.
Related: Guide to the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off
Out of nowhere, Mikael Granlund buried back-to-back goals with Finland in empty-net mode to make it 4-3, scoring twice in 23 seconds. The fun stopped there, though, as Sidney Crosby slid one into the yawning cage with 56 seconds to go. A quick recap aside, what were some takeaways for both nations?
Canada: Easy Entries, Easy Goals
There was no Jaccob Slavin to stop them in this one. In the first period, Canada had no trouble crossing Finland’s blue line, which led to utter domination in time of possession, scoring chances, and of course, goals. The Canadians suffocated their Finnish counterparts early in the game—a Herculean effort would’ve been needed to bounce back.
In their sole defeat of the round-robin, Canada actually had an obstacle for not just entering the offensive zone, but creating chances there. Slavin wasn’t their only challenge, mind you, but a presence like his would be greatly appreciated in Finland. Instead, they’ve been playing without superstar Miro Heiskanen, top-four piece Rasmus Ristolainen, and depth contributor Jani Hakanpaa. Half your defense being out with injuries will pose a slight problem, oftentimes.
Still, the Canadians deserve their flowers. The United States defeated Finland 6-1 through aggressive forechecking and power-play excellence. It took until the third period for the floodgates to open, however, as it was a 2-1 score after two frames. Canada instantly recognized their talent advantage over Finland, so there was never much of a doubt in the final result. The empty-net sequence was their only flaw.
Finland: Goaltending Conundrum?
Overdramatic? Possibly, but Finland’s most consistent issue aside from their defensive zone play has been goaltending. Juuse Saros had a stinker against the United States, allowing six goals, while Kevin Lankinen sacrificed seven across five periods of play (Sweden and Canada combined). There were a lot of stoppable pucks in the mix, too.
In about a calendar year, the Finns are set to travel to Italy to play in the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. If this is the level of goaltending they get, obtaining a medal next winter will be quite the challenge. They need their men between the pipes to be superb—not outclassed in a majority of games.
This is only worth bringing up because Saros is having the worst season of his career back in the NHL, sitting at a .898 save percentage. Is that a product of the Nashville Predators’ struggles? Maybe. But he’s not playing Vezina Trophy hockey anymore, as opposed to his 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns.
Did Juuse this save from Saros last season? 😤 pic.twitter.com/MgszG6rzPu
— NHL (@NHL) July 26, 2022
Lankinen has played decent hockey this season for the Vancouver Canucks, but he’s also a backup who’s seen starter-level usage due to Thatcher Demko’s injuries and on-ice struggles. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was the third goalie, and he didn’t get an ounce of playing time.
So, Finland’s golden dreams in 2026 more or less depend on Saros. Will he bounce back?
Canada: Can Makar Be the Difference-Maker vs. USA?
On Thursday, Canada will be taking on the only team that beat them in this tournament, the United States, to decide which hockey nation is supreme. Defenseman Cale Makar was out from that game but played today. Is he the missing piece?
There were a few things that didn’t go Canada’s way against the United States (a 3-1 loss), but their lack of defensive puck-movers stood out. Makar is a weapon for creating offense, as he is a machine for both creating in the offensive zone and entering it in the first place. He’s one of hockey’s finest for his puck skills, no doubt, but he gets the puck up the ice and can form lanes inside opposing blue lines at a rate that few others can.
Makar didn’t register a point in this one, nor was he a good play-driver if you’re just looking at his 5-on-5 expected goal share (34.92%). But is he the difference?
Finland: A Positive Spin on a Disappointing Tournament
Finland was decimated by the United States, notched a slim win over Sweden, and was outplayed but made it surprisingly tight against Canada. The question for this team is, can they compete for gold medals at the best-on-best stage?
Well, we didn’t exactly get to see Finland at their “best.” Heiskanen was a devastating blow from the jump, basically giving this team no chance. For all their faults, the Finns still had a shot at advancing to the championship round today. Only trailing by one as the clock dipped below 60 seconds against Canada is one incredible feat.
It’s impossible to tell what a full-strength Finland team might look like, but it’s probably a bit better than they were in the 4 Nations Face-Off. While it’d take a disciplined effort to bring home a gold medal next winter (and future tournaments), it’s absolutely within reach.
Next up, Canada will take on the United States, where the winner of the 4 Nations Face-Off will be crowned. The festivities will get underway on Thursday, Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. EST. Boston’s TD Garden will host the event.
