Five storylines you need to know going into the 2024-2025 NHL season
Mackenzie Salmon breaks down the top five NHL stories as the season begins underway.
Sports Pulse
One of hockey’s great rivalries adds another chapter as the United States faces Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off Saturday night.
Both teams head into the second of three round-robin games following wins. On Wednesday, Canada survived a third-period stumble to beat Sweden 4-3 in overtime. Sparked by a three-assist performance from Sidney Crosby, Canada saw a two-goal lead disappear but recovered to win the tournament’s opening game before a sold-out Bell Centre.
Things were a little more straightforward for the U.S., which routed Finland 6-1. Matthew Tkachuk led the way with a two goal/one assist showing, while his brother Brady Tkachuk added two goals. Throw in three assists from Zach Werenski, and the United States started off this tournament — a substitute for the NHL All-Star Game — with a resounding statement.
With a fervently pro-Canada crowd expected in Montréal for this one, expect fireworks. Here’s what to know ahead of USA vs. Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off:
Canada strikes first, with Connor McDavid showcasing his speed and stickhandling at 5:31 in the first period.
Drew Doughty scooped a pass towards center ice that met McDavid in stride, and the Edmonton Oilers center did the rest. At full speed, he cut through three Team USA before firing over Hellebuyck’s left shoulder to make it 1-0. It’ll be hard to produce a more clinical goal than that.
There’s a lot going on here, but amid the scuffling that turned into the third fight, Canada went on the power play.
Team USA kills it off pretty easily though, with a couple of timely interventions in front of goalie Connor Hellebuyck all that was really required.
At the puck drop, we have USA’s Matthew Tkachuk and Canada’s Brandon Hagel agreeing to drop the gloves and fight. No clean hits but a long scuffle ends with both players getting offsetting fighting penalties.
And now it’s Brady Tkachuk fighting Sam Bennett on the ensuing faceoff! ABC reports that Brady Tkachuk was calling Bennett out to set the fight up while the first fight was being sorted.
Team USA throws one on net once play resumes, but we’re now seeing a third fight. This time, it’s J.T. Miller for the U.S. and Canada’s Colton Parayko squaring off.
We are, to be clear, nine seconds into the first period. Here’s the full round-up of fights:
As was the case in the first round of games, a chunk of the crowd at Bell Centre booed the U.S. national anthem, particularly as it started and ended. Given the geopolitical realities at play following the election of Donald Trump, it’s not exactly a stunning development.
Following a rendition of “O Canada” that was partially sung by the crowd, fans break out into chants for Team Canada and captain Sidney Crosby.
Both teams have an accomplished athlete introduce them to the crowd at Bell Centre. Michelle Kwan took the ice and — presumably due to her Team USA hockey sweater and not any animus towards her personally — was roundly booed while introducing Team USA.
MMA great Georges St-Pierre was received with more warmth by the crowd as he brought Canada out. Fans are wearing light-up necklaces, adding to the wild atmosphere in Montréal.
Big news right as ABC’s broadcast of Saturday’s 4 Nations Face-Off meeting gets going: Canada defenseman Cale Makar, arguably one of the NHL’s best D-liners, has been ruled out of this game due to illness.
Emergency call-up Thomas Harley, who per ABC has not had time to get a practice session in with Canada, is in the lineup instead.
When is the 4 Nations Face-Off between USA and Canada?
The 4 Nations Face-Off pitting USA against Canada starts at 8 p.m. ET with coverage on ABC and ESPN+.
All times Eastern.
USA vs. Canada 4 Nations Face-Off TV channel: How to watch
USA vs. Canada 4 Nations stream: How to stream Face-Off event
The game will be carried on ABC as well as ESPN+. You can also watch on Sling.
Watch USA vs. Canada with Sling
(Times p.m. ET)
- Wednesday, Feb. 12: Canada 4, Sweden 3 (OT)
- Thursday, Feb. 13: USA 6, Finland 1
- Saturday, Feb. 15: Finland 4, Sweden 3
- Saturday, Feb. 15: USA vs. Canada at Montreal, 8, ABC
- Monday, Feb. 17: Canada vs. Finland at Boston, 1, TNT
- Monday, Feb. 17: Sweden vs. USA at Boston, 8, TNT
- Thursday, Feb. 20: Championship game at Boston, 8, ESPN
No., position, player, NHL team
- 12 F Matt Boldy, Minnesota Wild
- 81 F Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets
- 9 F Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights
- 59 F Jake Guentzel, Tampa Bay Lightning
- 86 F Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
- 20 F Chris Kreider, New York Rangers
- 21 F Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings
- 34 F Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
- 10 F J.T. Miller, New York Rangers
- 29 F Brock Nelson, New York Islanders
- 7 F Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
- 19 F Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers
- 16 F Vincent Trocheck, New York Rangers
- 14 D Brock Faber, Minnesota Wild
- 23 D Adam Fox, New York Rangers
- 25 D Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins
- 15 D Noah Hanifin, Vegas Golden Knights
- 85 D Jake Sanderson, Ottawa Senators
- 74 D Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
- 8 D Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets
- 37 G Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
- 30 G Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars
- 1 G Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins
No., position, player, NHL team
- 9 F Sam Bennett, Florida Panthers
- 71 F Anthony Cirelli, Tampa Bay Lightning
- 87 F Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
- 38 F Brandon Hagel, Tampa Bay Lightning
- 24 F Seth Jarvis, Carolina Hurricanes
- 11 F Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
- 29 F Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
- 63 F Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins
- 16 F Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
- 97 F Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
- 21 F Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning
- 13 F Sam Reinhart, Florida Panthers
- 61 F Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights
- 89 Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings
- 8 D Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
- 44 D Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets
- 55 D Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues
- 6 D Travis Sanheim, Philadelphia Flyers
- 27 D Shea Theodore, Vegas Golden Knights (suffered injury, out of tournament)
- 5 D Devon Toews, Colorado Avalanche
- 50 G Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
- 33 G Adin Hill, Vegas Golden Knights
- 35 G Sam Montembeault, Montreal Canadiens
Team USA is the favorite to beat Team Canada, according to the latest odds from BetMGM.
- Spread: USA (-1.5)
- Moneyline: USA (-110); Canada (-110)
- Over/Under: 6.5
Sportsbook Wire: USA 3, Canada 2
Kevin Erickson writes, “The American power play was impressive, and the Tkachuk Brothers were red-hot. Expect Team USA to feed off of the energy, as the pro-Canada crowd creates a very hostile environment.”
New York Post: Canada 4, USA 2
Ethan Sears gives Team Canada the edge over the Americans among forwards and special teams and concludes, “Canada’s top-end talent and the home crowd give them a tightly fought win.”
Covers: Over 6 goals scored
Todd Cordell writes, “It’s probably unrealistic for Canada to hold this USA team to fewer than three goals. They will need to score to keep up and, with McDavid, Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, and Sidney Crosby leading the charge, there’s plenty of reason to believe they can do just that; even against Connor Hellebuyck.
“This should be a high-pace, high-event game featuring a level of elite talent we haven’t seen share the same ice in a long, long, time.”
The USA beat Canada at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey in a major moment for the U.S. hockey program. But Canada won when the two met in the gold medal games at the 2002 and 2010 Olympics. Canada also beat the USA in the Olympic semifinals in 2014 on the way to a second consecutive gold medal. — Mike Brehm
Canada defenseman Travis Sanheim, a scratch in the opening game, is scheduled to make his debut at the tournament because of an injury to Shea Theodore. The Vegas Golden Knights defenseman was injured on Wednesday when checked in the boards by Sweden’s Adrian Kempe. He has been ruled out of the tournament and is week-to-week. — Mike Brehm
Canada defenseman Cale Makar (illness) is a game-time decision, per NHL.com. If he can’t go, Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley, an emergency addition to the roster, could suit up. — Mike Brehm
The World Cup of Hockey will return in February 2028, and the NHL and players association envision a continuing cycle of alternating Olympics and World Cups every two years.
Details are still to be worked out, but NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday it would involve “at least” eight countries. Cities, including those in Europe, can start bidding in the coming months. Bettman said he didn’t foresee any melded teams, as happened in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey with smaller European countries forming one team and the North American 23-and-under “Young Guns” forming another.
It’s up in the air whether Russian players can take part because of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. The International Ice Hockey Federation recently voted to ban Russian players from its championships for another year, through the 2025-26 season. — Mike Brehm
Each country will play one game against the other three nations during the round robin. Teams get three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime/shootout win and one point for an overtime/shootout loss. The two teams with the best records play each other in the championship game.
A tie in the standings between two teams will be decided by the head-to-head result between those tied teams.
Games will be played under NHL rules, except that overtime involves 10 minutes of 3-on-3 sudden death during the round robin rather than the NHL’s five minutes. If it’s still tied after 10 minutes, the game goes to a shootout. During the championship game, overtime is like NHL playoff overtime: 5-on-5 hockey for 20-minute periods until a goal is scored. — Mike Brehm
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