The first two games of the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off included one that was close until the end — Canada’s 4-3 OT win over Sweden — and one that was close through 37 minutes — the United States’ 6-1 rout of Finland.

A super Saturday doubleheader is on the way, including the most anticipated rivalry matchups: Sweden-Finland (1 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+) and U.S.-Canada (8 p.m., ABC/ESPN+/Disney+).

Before we dive into the preview, here’s an updated look at the round-robin standings. The top two teams after the round-robin will face off in the final Thursday:

Who are the key players and matchups to watch? What are the most important statistics heading into this contest? Read on for all of that, courtesy of ESPN Research and Stathletes, plus betting intel courtesy of ESPN BET, and picks on the game from Sean Allen.

Sweden vs.

Finland

Saturday, 1 p.m. ET | ABC/ESPN+
Bell Centre (Montreal)

Betting intel

Money line: SWE -210 | Finland +175
Game spread: SWE -1.5 (+130) | Finland +1.5 (-155)
Total goals: Over 5.5 (-105) | Under 5.5 (-115)

Sweden

• Erik Karlsson leads all players with five blocked shots. His most in an NHL game this season is five, Dec. 29 vs. the New York Islanders.

• Mika Zibanejad was the only Swedish skater to be over 50% on faceoffs (57%, 13-of-23). The 13 faceoffs won are the second most, behind Finland’s Aleksander Barkov (15).

• While they did combine for the goal that tied the game 3-3, Sweden was down 15-9 in shot attempts and 8-4 in shots on goal at 5-on-5 when Joel Eriksson Ek, Jesper Bratt and Lucas Raymond were on the ice together, per Stathletes.

• Swedish defenders had 26 passes that led to shot attempts, according to Stathletes, including three defensemen with at least six: Victor Hedman (7), Karlsson (7) and Gustav Forsling (6).

Finland

• Captain Aleksander Barkov led Finland with five shots on goal, the second most in the game behind Matthew Tkachuk’s eight. Barkov has had three NHL games this season with five or more shots, but in two of those games he also scored a goal.

• Three of Finland’s top four NHL goal scorers this season failed to record a shot on goal: Mikko Rantanen: 26 NHL goals (zero shots on goal), Artturi Lehkonen: 23 NHL goals (four shots on goal), Roope Hintz: 22 NHL goals (zero shots on goal), Sebastian Aho: 20 NHL goals (zero shots on goal).

• Though Rantanen did not record a shot on goal, he was tied for the most passes leading to a shot with Auston Matthews (7).

• Juuse Saros allowed six goals, which is tied with the most he gave up in an NHL game this season (done twice prior), including his last start before the break against the Chicago Blackhawks on Feb. 7. Kevin Lankinen will start against Sweden.

Picks for the game

Neither of these teams were a pushover in their opening losses of the tournament.

For Sweden, the line of Filip Forsberg, Adrian Kempe and Elias Pettersson did the best job of tilting the ice in their favor, managing 12 shot attempts and a goal in 8:39 at 5-on-5 against Canada, while only allowing seven shot attempts against.

Adrian Kempe to record 4-plus shots on goal (+145): Kempe fired five against Canada and should get plenty of chances to pepper Kevin Lankinen.

Esa Lindell anytime point scorer (+260): Wait. Hear me out. The Finns tried all-forward power-play units at both 4-on-3 and 5-on-4 for a total of 2:32 seconds with just two total shots on goal. They might consider squeezing a defenseman onto the top unit for a more traditional look, even if they don’t have a great candidate. The second unit with Lindell on the point played just over a minute against the Americans and generated two shots on goal and six shot attempts. — Sean Allen

United States vs.

Canada

Saturday, 8 p.m. ET | ABC/ESPN+
Bell Centre (Montreal)

Betting intel

Money line: USA -110 | Canada -110
Game spread: USA +1.5 (-325) | Canada -1.5 (+220)
Total goals: Over 6.5 (+105) | Under 6.5 (-125)

United States

• The Tkachuk brothers were the stars of the show Thursday. Brady Tkachuk had five slot shot attempts, the most of any player in the tournament; four scoring chance shot attempts, tied for the most of any player (Matthew Tkachuk, Nathan MacKinnon); and five scoring chances created with shots and passes, tied for second (MacKinnon, Auston Matthews, Cale Makar)

• Matthew Tkachuk had four slot shot attempts, tied for second in the tournament (MacKinnon, Mark Stone); four scoring chance shot attempts, tied for the most (Brady Tkachuk, MacKinnon); and six scoring chances created with shots and passes, the most in the tournament.

• The U.S. led all teams in slot shot attempts (23) and scoring chances (20), per Stathletes. The team ranks second in total shot attempts with 58, behind Sweden (69).

• Team USA was credited with 32 hits, which led all teams through the first game. That was 11 more than the next-closest team (Sweden, 21). Brady Tkachuk led all players through the opening games with eight hits, matching his NHL season high (Nov. 9 vs. the Boston Bruins).

Canada

• Canada has won 26 straight games with Sidney Crosby in the lineup. The streak consists of the last four games of the 2010 Olympics, all six games of the 2014 Olympics, all nine games he played in 2015 IIHF World Championship (he sat out the last preliminary-round game), all six games at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and the first game of the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.

• Nathan MacKinnon led all players in the game against Sweden with six shots on goal. He is the NHL leader in games having six or more shots on goal with 13, which is one more than USA’s Zach Werenski, USA’s Jack Hughes and David Pastrnak.

• Brad Marchand‘s goal was his sixth in NHL international competitions (Canada Cup, World Cup of Hockey), the most among active players.

• Per Stathletes, every Canadian forward created at least one scoring chance (either by pass or shot) except Anthony Cirelli and Travis Konecny. Konecny is being replaced in the lineup by Sam Bennett for the game against the U.S.

• Connor McDavid had 72 puck touches, according to Stathletes, 16 more than the next-highest Canadian forward (Mitch Marner).

Picks for the game

The Americans made a couple of line changes late in the game that made a world of difference. First, they realized, ‘Hey, aren’t those two brothers?’ and finally put the Tkachuks on a line together. Brady and Matthew, along with Jack Eichel, dominated with 13 shot attempts in 6:03 at five-on-five.

Zach Werenski anytime point scorer (+110). Second, they swapped out Adam Fox and installed Werenski on the top power-play unit. With Fox, the group that also included Auston Matthews, Eichel, Jake Guentzel and Matthew Tkachuk managed just one shot on goal and three shot attempts in 2:55. With Werenski, they scored two goals on six shot attempts in just 1:15.

Canada’s power play was as dangerous as expected, but after William Nylander took an early high-sticking infraction, Sweden stayed out of the box for the rest of the game. The result was only 12 seconds of power-play time, because that’s how long the unit of Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sam Reinhart and Cale Makar needed to fire one shot on goal and score.

At 5-on-5, the line of Reinhart, McDavid and Mitch Marner was the only one of Canada’s lines that managed to have a positive result in the shot attempts battle, with the other three allowing equal or more shot attempts against them.

Sam Reinhart anytime goal scorer (+230): This game feels like it’s going to have more penalties. There are a lot of emotions coming into the contest, and we’ll get to see more than 12 seconds of this elite Canadian power play. So why not go right back to the same well and expect the player in front of the net to bank one in?

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — When Martin Truex Jr. started discussing a deal to compete in the Daytona 500, he had a unique request: Could he drive the No. 56?

It was a resounding yes from Tricon Garage, and the decision has become even more special for Truex in the weeks since.

A day after Truex formally announced his entry into “The Great American Race,” his father died unexpectantly at age 66. Truex Sr. drove the No. 56 for much of his racing career, which included 15 starts in the second-tier Xfinity Series and 135 starts in the ARCA Series in the 1990s.

“It probably means more. It probably hits home more with me of just what it means to us and our family,” said Truex Jr., who drove the No. 56 for four seasons (2010-13) at Michael Waltrip Racing. “A lot of people are going to be excited to see it out there.”

It might be most emotional for the Truex family, specifically Martin and younger brother Ryan.

“Everything I’ve ever learned was from him,” Martin said. “He was my hero growing up and still is. He made a lot of things happen for me. Taught me a lot of things with racing and really the opportunity to get here and what I’ve accomplished is all because of him and his sacrifices. Hopefully we’ll go win this thing for him on Sunday.”

It would be the ultimate tribute. And no one should count Truex out even though he’s winless in 39 starts at Daytona International Speedway. Truex has the longest active losing streak in the Daytona 500, having failed to win in 20 starts.

But he came close in 2016, coming up inches short of Denny Hamlin in the closest finish in the history of “The Great American Race.”

Truex hasn’t been nearly as close since, although he has finished in the top 15 in each of the last three years. Those came while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.

The 2017 Cup Series champion retired from full-time racing at the end of last season but chose to do a one-off event with Tricon in hopes of finally winning the 500. They still have an alliance with JGR.

“In the grand scheme of things, this is probably the easiest one to do as far as being a driver in a series,” Truex said. “You couldn’t do a one-off and go to Richmond or Dover or somewhere and expect to have a chance to win, honestly. It’s just not really feasible. …

“Speedway racing is the best opportunity to come out and have a true shot at winning. That’s why guys do it. That’s why I wanted to do it and especially because it’s the Daytona 500. It’s such a big race. It’s such a big deal.”

It could be Truex’s final chance. And what a feat it would be to win the Daytona 500 in his 21st try a month after his dad’s death and driving a car number that evokes memories for his family.

“We have as good a shot to win as anyone to win,” Truex said. “If you’re in it, you can win it. I’ve always said that. One of these days I’m going to be right about it.”

After a wild baseball winter, spring training is in the air.

The Mets inked Juan Soto to the largest contract in MLB history — and also brought back fan favorite Pete Alonso this week. The Dodgers had another busy offseason, including the addition of prized Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki. And the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros and New York Yankees were among the most active teams in a scorching-hot trade market.

Now, with pitchers and catchers reporting across Arizona and Florida this week, we’ll start seeing how those moves translate to the diamond. We’ve asked our ESPN MLB experts to get us ready for spring training with the stars and storylines they’re most excited to see as baseball returns for the 2025 season.

What is the one thing you are most excited about as spring training begins?

Buster Olney: The Mets are a must-see stop in spring training and will be must-watch all year. The Dodgers are baseball’s Evil Empire in many fans’ eyes and will be aiming to be the majors’ first back-to-back champion since the 1998-2000 Yankees. But in many ways, the Mets will be the team under the most pressure this year, given their success last October, the record-setting signing of Juan Soto and that they have such a difficult challenge in the loaded National League East.

The major competitive question the Mets face is this: In the face of another rotation makeover, can they replicate the starters’ production of 2024, when they ranked fifth in innings and 12th in ERA?

Jorge Castillo: Can the Mets reproduce some of their magic? The lineup is undoubtedly better than a year ago with the addition of Soto, Mark Vientos coming off a breakout season and Alonso back after a long winter for the slugger. The bullpen has been upgraded. The rotation has questions but so did last year’s.

Beyond the talent, however, the 2024 Mets ran on vibes en route from a 22-33 start to reaching the National League Championship Series. Jose Iglesias, the infielder and part-time singer who helped establish the good energy upon joining the team in late May, is not around anymore. A few other key cogs in the vibes machine are gone, too. Asking the 2025 Mets to replicate the 2024 OMG, Grimace-powered Mets is unrealistic. Teams like that are rare. But vibes matter, and the Mets will need to generate some good ones as they head into a season with higher expectations.

Jeff Passan: Trying to figure out who is good in the American League. The Yankees lost Soto — and gained Max Fried, Cody Bellinger, Devin Williams and Paul Goldschmidt. Their predecessor as AL champion, Texas, added Joc Pederson and Jake Burger, re-signed Nathan Eovaldi, refashioned its bullpen and has a healthy Jacob deGrom. Other playoff teams from last year — Cleveland, Houston, Kansas City, Baltimore, Detroit — still have playoff aspirations. As do the other four AL East teams as well as Seattle and Minnesota. It’s a wide-open league — again — and spring training often gives little clues that make more sense once the standings have sorted themselves out.

Alden Gonzalez: Getting an up-close look at Roki Sasaki. We’ve been hearing so much about him for years, and he is finally in the major leagues, getting set to face the best hitters in the world. Though they’ll monitor him closely, the Los Angeles Dodgers won’t place any restrictions on Sasaki in his first season in the U.S. I want to see how one of the most lauded pitching development programs goes about extracting the greatness Sasaki clearly possesses. And I want to see how major league hitters react to his absurd splitter.

Jesse Rogers: Excited might be too strong, but I’m definitely interested in the use of automatic balls and strikes this spring. Barring a major breakdown in the system, we’re probably a year away from robot umps — at least for some calls — becoming a permanent part of the game.

On the field, it’s cool to see some of the sport’s most well-known grizzled veterans changing teams while trying to drink from the fountain of youth. Can Justin Verlander help lead the Giants out of .500 hell? Same goes for Max Scherzer in Toronto. Their Hall of Fame-worthy stories are down to the final chapters. And please don’t ask me for Dodgers spring training tickets. That’s going to be a scene all spring.

Other than Soto, which player who changed teams this winter are you most interested in seeing in his new uniform?

Olney: Alex Bregman, who is likely to land with the Red Sox, Cubs or Tigers soon; sources in the Astros organization are skeptical he’ll return to Houston. If he goes to Fenway Park, he could pepper the Green Monster while relearning the nuances of playing in the middle infield. If he goes to Chicago — likely on a short-term, Cody Bellinger-type deal — he will have pressure to produce. And if he signs with the Tigers, it would be Detroit’s de facto announcement that with Tarik Skubal two years from free agency, the team’s window to win is now, and the expensive signing of Bregman would be an all-in move.

Passan: Corbin Burnes, who was the Diamondbacks’ rejoinder to everything the Dodgers are trying to do. Arizona is a dangerous, dangerous team. It’s easy to forget they swept Los Angeles in the postseason two years ago and reached the World Series without Burnes, who has the best ERA in baseball over the past five seasons. He joins Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaadt in one of baseball’s best rotations — one that complements an offense that scored the most runs in baseball last year. The offseason after the signing of Jordan Montgomery went bad, Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick didn’t allow the sour taste to keep him from trying to win, which is more than can be said for many of his contemporaries. If Burnes is his normal self, the Diamondbacks will be the best competition for the Dodgers in the cutthroat NL West.

Castillo: Four years ago, Walker Buehler, who signed a one-year, $21.5 million deal with Boston this offseason, was one of the best pitchers in the majors. The brash right-hander went 16-4 with a 2.47 ERA in 33 starts, tossing over 200 innings, for the Dodgers. Then, he got hurt, underwent a second Tommy John surgery, missed the 2023 season and struggled upon returning in 2024 before giving a gutsy postseason effort culminating with recording the final three outs of the World Series.

Buehler is talented, confident and a proven big-game performer. A return to his previous form could be the difference in the Red Sox vaulting from missing the playoffs to becoming a legitimate contender — and result in Buehler receiving the payday expected during his peak next winter.

Gonzalez: Kyle Tucker, because I still don’t think enough people realize how good he is. Only 14 players accumulated more FanGraphs wins above replacement from 2021 to 2023 than Tucker. He was on track to be even better — much better — in his age-27 season in 2024, He had an OPS of 1.175 by June 3 before suffering a shin fracture that kept him out for three months. Tucker has since been traded from the Astros to the Cubs. Free agency is nine months away with a massive payday approaching. And Tucker might be my pick for NL MVP.

Rogers: It’s a tie between Max Fried and Tucker. The former got paid, the latter is hoping for the same. Fried is venturing out from a comfortable situation in Atlanta where players aren’t subjected to the same intensity that New York, Boston or Philadelphia brings. He’ll feel that with the Yankees. Will he thrive under the bright lights?

Meanwhile, Tucker is leaving the only league, team and city he has known in his big league career — just in time for his platform year in a place that is notoriously volatile for left-handed hitters because of weather patterns that vary from season to season. Wrigley Field is due for a good summer, which could turn Tucker into the next $300 million (or more) man next offseason.

Other than Sasaki, who is one player from our top 100 prospects list you are most looking forward to seeing this spring?

Olney: After being dormant for a few years, the Red Sox appear to be on the verge of a breakout, fueled by some high-end prospects — maybe none better than Roman Anthony, who will presumably make his debut this year. Folks in the Boston organization rave about his work ethic and focus, and for all the talk in recent seasons about fellow prospect Marcelo Mayer, Anthony could have an immediate impact once he lands in the big leagues. His slash line in the minors last year: .291/.396/.498. And he dominated in Triple-A after a second-half promotion, accumulating as many walks (31) as strikeouts (31).

Passan: Even before he reaches the big leagues, Chandler Simpson is already one of the most exciting players in baseball. A 5-foot-11, 170-pound outfielder chosen by the Tampa Bay Rays in the competitive-balance round of the 2022 draft out of Georgia Tech, Simpson is the best base-stealing prospect since Billy Hamilton. In his first full minor league season in 2023, Simpson stole 94 bases in 109 attempts. Last year, at High-A and Double-A, Simpson stole 104 bases in 121 attempts over 110 games. Most interesting is how Simpson hit last year. He very rarely strikes out, his left-handed swing devised for contact. At High-A, he batted .364 in nearly 150 plate appearances. He continued in Double-A, batting .351/.401/.407 and walking 29 times against 27 strikeouts in 358 plate appearances. It’s a lot of singles. But it’s also a lot of times on base that are near-automatic to wind up at second. Hitting to a .377 wOBA and 141 wRC+ means you’re very good. And so while Simpson isn’t nearly as lauded as some of the others here, he is a throwback, the sort who’s impossibly fun to watch. Baseball will take all of that it can get.

Castillo: The Martian has landed in left field at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Jasson Dominguez, one of the most hyped prospects in recent memory, is slated to make the Yankees’ Opening Day roster for the first time as the team’s every-day left fielder. You’re probably thinking, “It’s about time!” But know this: Dominguez turned 22 on Friday. The shine might have dimmed from when he signed as a 16-year-old marvel out of the Dominican Republic, but he’s younger than Travis Bazzana, last year’s No. 1 pick. Last season, despite dealing with injuries, Dominguez slashed .314/.376/.504 with 11 home runs and 16 stolen bases in 58 games across three minor league levels before getting called up to the Bronx in September. He looked uncomfortable in the outfield and didn’t produce enough at the plate for the Yankees to give him playing time in October, but his power-speed combo and getting leeway to find his rhythm should give New York an upgrade in left field over Alex Verdugo.

Gonzalez: Jackson Jobe, a 22-year-old right-hander who debuted with the Detroit Tigers late last season, got a taste of playoff baseball and might lock down a rotation spot this year. He’s a great athlete who can easily access velocity, displays an excellent changeup and flashes a cool-looking sweeper. If Jobe makes the proper adjustments, he and Tarik Skubal in the same rotation could win the Tigers the American League Central.

Rogers: I’ll go with Matt Shaw of the Cubs. How many teams rid themselves of every player who played a position during the previous season? That’s what the Cubs did at third base this winter when they jettisoned seven players who saw time at the hot corner. Barring an Alex Bregman sighting, this has left the door open for Shaw to win the job. That’s some serious faith in a guy who has shot up Kiley McDaniel’s prospect rankings, landing at No. 23 to begin the season, but has only 35 Triple-A games under his belt.

Which team are you far more interested in today than you were a year ago at this time?

Olney: The Reds. The oddsmakers have set the early over/under for Cincinnati’s win total at 78.5, just above the team’s 77-85 record last season and that makes no sense. The Reds had easily the worst record in one-run decisions last year (15-29) meaning that if they played last season again with the same group, they’d probably improve by four or five wins — and they should be better this season after bolstering their rotation and lineup. And new manager Terry Francona has demonstrated over and over in his Hall of Fame-caliber career that he is difference-making. In his first year as the Guardians’ manager, Cleveland improved from 68-94 to 92-70.

Passan: The A’s. As eye-roll-inducing as it was to see A’s owner John Fisher named to the league’s executive committee (inviting the person most responsible for killing baseball in Oakland to the most powerful group in the game said all it needed to about the lack of regret for that decision) the team spending this season in Sacramento is better than the one that made a 19-game improvement to 69-93 last year. The A’s spent $67 million on Luis Severino and traded for Jeffrey Springs to shore up their rotation. They added Jose Leclerc to their bullpen and Gio Urshela to their infield. They locked up slugger Brent Rooker long-term. A full year of Lawrence Butler and Jacob Wilson, a bounce back from Zack Gelof, improvement from JJ Bleday, the arrival of Nick Kurtz — squint and you can see a pretty good core and a team that if everything breaks right could have October aspirations.

Castillo: The Red Sox. Fans in Boston aren’t satisfied with the organization’s offseason, but the Red Sox upgraded their biggest weakness (pitching) and might not be done. Acquiring Nolan Arenado or signing Alex Bregman would be quite the finish for a club that will have three top-25 prospects, including the consensus No. 2 prospect behind Sasaki (Anthony), waiting in Triple-A Worcester.

Garrett Crochet looked like an ace in 2024. Buehler was one before his second Tommy John surgery. Patrick Sandoval might help down the stretch. The Red Sox finished 81-81 with a plus-four run differential last season despite a slew of injuries and a pitching drop-off in the second half. Triston Casas is healthy after playing in just 63 games. Trevor Story is healthy after playing in 26 games last season. Rafael Devers, plagued by shoulder injuries last year, should be healthier. Jarren Duran registered a breakout All-Star 2024 season. Wilyer Abreu had a great rookie year. The Red Sox have the talent to return to contention.

Gonzalez: The Giants. I don’t know if they’ll make the playoffs — I see three National League East teams as near-locks, so it will be tough — but Buster Posey has at least made them more exciting in his first year running baseball operations. I don’t know how Willy Adames will age, but pairing him at the top of the order with a healthy Jung Hoo Lee should be fun. I don’t know how much Justin Verlander has left, but inserting him in a group headlined by Logan Webb and Robbie Ray, who is expected to pitch his first full season in three years, is intriguing.

Rogers: Year-to-year, definitely the Mets. We knew nothing of what they would become last season when they opened camp in 2024. Carlos Mendoza was a first-time manager who proved his worth throughout a magical run in New York. After adding Soto and re-signing fan favorite Pete Alonso, the sky seems the limit. But this time, they won’t be just a fun story — they’ll have tons of added pressure. If they can keep it fun and loose like they did last year, the Mets will be a force again. That lineup could be scary.