MONTREAL — The hockey world has waited eight years for the renewal of best-on-best hockey. Now it is finally here.
The 4 Nations Face-Off between Team USA, Canada, Sweden and Finland begins on Wednesday night, when Canada faces Sweden at the Bell Centre.
The tournament, which the NHL is running in place of an All-Star Game this season, acts as a precursor to the 2026 Milan Olympics, which will feature NHLers for the first time since the 2014 Sochi Games.
The league couldn’t pull together a full World Cup on short notice — Russia is still barred from participating due to the war in Ukraine and countries such as Czechia, Switzerland and Germany would have had to go outside NHL ranks to fill out their rosters — but this version of best-on-best is still a welcome development.
The tournament — which features round-robin play to determine the top two teams — begins Wednesday in Montreal with Canada vs. Sweden and ends with the title game in Boston on Feb. 20.
The Post breaks down all four teams in the competition.
Team USA
Best players: Auston Matthews, Kyle Connor and Matthew Tkachuk will help lead a forward group that looks as deep as any in the tournament. But if the Americans win, it will likely be on their strength in goal, with Connor Hellebuyck the current Vezina Trophy favorite.
Best metro area players: There are plenty of Rangers on this team, and Brock Nelson, the lone Islander in the tournament, is here too. But the Devils’ Jack Hughes is the lone top six forward from the metro area on this team, based on the lines that coach Mike Sullivan has run out so far, and he easily has the most skill. Adam Fox looks slated to be on a top defense pair with Carolina’s Jaccob Slavin as well.
Odds to win championship: +150
How they can win: Easy. The Americans have the best collection of talent in this tournament and by far the best goaltending. Though the betting lines have tipped slightly toward Canada, Team USA is generally acknowledged as the favorite by those in the sport.
If there’s a concern here, it’s the loss of Quinn Hughes, who pulled out of the tournament late due to injury. There’s just no replacement for the Norris Trophy front-runner, who has already racked up 59 points in 47 games this season with the Canucks. As good as Fox, Zach Werenski and Charlie McAvoy are, they are not offensive game-breakers the same way Hughes is.
Still, the trump card for Team USA is the goaltending. Sullivan hasn’t committed to a starter yet, but Hellebuyck is nearly unbeatable when he’s on his game, and he has been this season, with a .925 save percentage and league-leading 2.06 GAA. It would be a surprise if he weren’t in nets.
Team Canada
Best players: You know this already. Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Sidney Crosby. Who else?
Best metro area players: None. Team Canada is the only one of the four without a metro area player. Among the snubs: Alexis Lafrenière, Mat Barzal and Noah Dobson. Islanders fans can also catch old friend Devon Toews on the top pair with Makar.
Odds to win championship: +145
How they can win: If Team USA has the most overall talent, Team Canada can answer with the best four players in the tournament. Canada can roll with a first power-play unit that includes Makar, McDavid, Crosby, MacKinnon and Sam Reinhart, which is fantasy hockey stuff. Coach Jon Cooper isn’t planning on a MacKinnon, Crosby and McDavid line, at least to start, but the comparisons to the 1987 Canada Cup — when Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux played on a trio with Dale Hawerchuk — have already been made.
The big question, though, is the goaltending. Between Adin Hill, Jordan Binnington and Sam Montembeault, there’s not an obvious No. 1, and Team Canada has the worst trio in the tournament on paper. Throw in the overwhelming pressure on Canada in any international tournament and there are potential cracks here.
Team Sweden
Best players: Victor Hedman is wearing the ‘C’ and brings championship pedigree to the defense corps. Elias Pettersson and William Nylander are Sweden’s two most gifted offensive players.
Best metro area players: The Devils’ Jesper Bratt and the Rangers’ Mika Zibanejad are the only two on Team Sweden after Jacob Markstrom had to bow out due to injury.
Odds to win championship: +425
How they can win: Sweden usually shows out well in international tournaments, and this one should be no exception. This roster doesn’t overwhelm with stars the way USA and Canada do, but there’s not many holes, either. Between Nylander, Pettersson, Bratt, Adrian Kempe and Lucas Raymond, there’s a lot of scoring punch here. Linus Ullmark is a former Vezina Trophy winner in nets.
If a handful of players who have had disappointing NHL seasons so far — namely Zibanejad, Pettersson and Erik Karlsson — can find some rhythm playing for their country, Sweden could surprise people.
Team Finland
Best players: Aleksander Barkov and Mikko Rantanen are the two big names here, with Sebastian Aho right behind.
Best metro area players: The Rangers’ Urho Vaakanainen and the Devils’ Erik Haula are the two locals who made Team Finland. It’s also a chance for fans to reacquaint themselves with Kaapo Kakko after the former Ranger was traded to Seattle this year.
Odds to win championship: +1000
How they can win: Finland was a long shot before three of the seven defensemen originally named to the team went down with injury.
Traditionally, Finland has won with defense and grind, and that’s what this roster looks like. Barkov is an annual Selke candidate, and there’s a lot of players surrounding him who can play heavy, physical, checking hockey. Whoever coach Antti Pennanen goes with in nets out of Kevin Lankinen, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Juuse Saros should acquit themselves well.
That said, the defense corps looks thin right now, and Finland lags behind the others in terms of scoring ability. Winning isn’t impossible, but it’s an uphill climb.
