Instead of having an All-Star Game this season, the NHL and NHLPA are staging the 4 Nations Face-Off, which will run from Feb. 12 through Feb. 20. This is a round-robin tournament that will feature four national teams — Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States — with NHL players from those nations filling the rosters.
The top two teams in the standings after round-robin play will compete in the championship game on Feb. 20. The points system for the round robin will include three points for a regulation win, two points for a win in overtime/shootout, one point for a loss in overtime/shootout and zero points for a regulation loss.
The overtime format for round-robin games is 3-on-3 sudden death for a 10-minute period, followed by a shootout. In the championship game, the overtime format is full-strength sudden death in successive 20-minute periods until one team scores.
Read on for full coverage of the event, including rosters, team previews, schedule and broadcast information from the opening round games all the way through the championship matchup.
Keys to winning the gold medal: Canada has arguably the most explosive crop of top-tier skaters in this tournament, and that talent has to be working for them in every period. Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Sam Reinhart, Brayden Point … and on down the list. Coach Jon Cooper can mix and match up front with some of the best offensive threats in the world, and that will be Canada’s weapon at 5-on-5 and the power play.
Scoring should be Canada’s superpower, and depending on how Cooper disperses ice time among the savvy veterans — looking at you, Sidney Crosby — and those under-the-radar finds — Travis Konecny as a 30-goal scorer on the fourth line (?) — Canada will be a nightmare to contain when they have the puck. That alone could carry them to a championship-worthy performance.
X factor: It’s the goaltending. How exactly is Canada going to fare between the pipes? Jordan Binnington appears to be their No. 1 (at least in the early goings) with Adin Hill as his backup. So, no Logan Thompson? Who has the second-best save percentage among NHL starters this season?
All credit to Hill and the fine season he’s had in Vegas, but Canada’s netminding could leave them feeling exposed (Sam Montembeault is the country’s projected third-stringer). And a swell of uncertainty — if it were to come — can seep into the defense, too. Canada’s depth on the back end wasn’t this tournament’s best to begin with, and it took a hit when Alex Pietrangelo — a veteran with championship experience — bowed out due to injury. If goalie confidence becomes shaky, does that also rattle Canada defensively? Mental toughness will be an element in all this as well. — Kristen Shilton
Keys to winning the gold medal: It’s not that Finland doesn’t have players who can score. But a hallmark of Finnish forwards who’ve come to the NHL is that many of them are consistent two-way players. How much does that factor in a tournament in which teams such as Canada and the United States are expected to have large chunks of possession?
Receiving those two-way contributions from forwards — such as two-time Selke Trophy winner Aleksander Barkov, Sebastian Aho, Mikko Rantanen and Roope Hintz — could prove even more crucial.
X factor: How they manage without Miro Heiskanen. Losing Heiskanen was significant beyond the fact that he’s one of the NHL’s premier defensemen. Heiskanen can do everything — from logging heavy 5-on-5 minutes to running a power play to anchoring a penalty kill to making life difficult for an opposing top line.
Figuring out how they can make up for his absence could be the difference in playing in the championship game or finishing in a less desirable place. — Ryan S. Clark
Keys to winning the gold medal: Sweden’s back end should be its backbone. Led by the incomparable Victor Hedman, the Swedish defense could be the tournament’s best, and that bodes well for their prospects. The Swedes’ blue line has a strong mix of talent with players who can provide offense — Hedman and Rasmus Dahlin, especially — with Gustav Forsling, Mattias Ekholm and Jonas Brodin locking things down behind them. Add Erik Karlsson’s general ability to that mix and no matter how you slice it, there’s something special for Sweden to tap.
If the forwards can complement a strong defensive game with consistent scoring, then the Swedes might have the right recipe for success.
X factor: Can Sweden overcome potentially losing both the goalies originally named to their roster? And, if the goaltending situation is impacted, will Sweden get the offensive performances it needs to outlast countries like the USA and Canada? Projected starter Jacob Markstrom was already replaced by Samuel Ersson; Linus Ullmark has been battling injury for much of this season.
That doesn’t speak to a possibly dominant showing in the crease. Leaving that aside though, can Sweden squeeze enough from their top-six forward group — with the likes of William Nylander and Filip Forberg leading the way — to keep pace with the aforementioned juggernauts? It might come down to will over thrill for this Swedish team to be victorious. — Shilton
Keys to winning the gold medal: Do they want to play fast? Do they want to be physical? Do they want to constantly apply pressure? Do they want to create lines that can score? Do they want lines that make two-way play a priority? Or do they want all of the above?
Asking this many questions about the U.S. speaks to how many directions the tactics can go, with a roster that is arguably the most talented in the tournament, top to bottom. The notion that there appears to be several identities the U.S. could have makes this roster adaptable to every situation. That could prove useful in their bid to win gold.
X factor: The defensive pairings. Let’s recap. Adam Fox is a Norris Trophy winner. Charlie McAvoy and Jaccob Slavin have finished in the top 10 in Norris voting on multiple occasions. Zach Werenski and his point-per-game average is factoring into this season’ Norris discussion. Noah Hanifin‘s athleticism and length makes finding time and space a problem, while Brock Faber was already a legitimate No. 1 option as a rookie last season. Late addition Jake Sanderson has been a driving force in getting the Senators back into the playoff picture.
And yet? One of them will be the U.S.’s seventh defenseman up in the press box. Which combinations would make the most sense for the U.S.? And can those pairings help lead the nation to a first-place finish in the build-up to the 2026 Olympics? — Clark
Betting picks
If nothing else, the Finnish defense and Canadian goaltending certainly suggest that a team of All-Star-caliber forwards on both sides of the puck can drive scoring to a total greater than 5.5. These forward lines are so stacked on each of these teams, how can we not go in expecting goal-scoring showcases?
Not that many of the players involved will be the same, but the last four Olympics with NHLers had all four of these nations averaging close to four goals per game each. The 2016 World Cup of Hockey, which was much more condensed and NHL-roster heavy, had a total of 7.88 goals per game from both sides across all games.
These aren’t apples-to-apples comparisons, but when you distill the skill on rosters to the point that some fourth lines look like top scoring lines on some NHL teams, we anticipate lots of goals.
Give me the over on any game that doesn’t involve Connor Hellebuyck and the United States team defense. — Allen
LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers outfielder Akil Baddoo had surgery to repair a broken bone in his right hand and will miss the start of the regular season.
Manager A.J. Hinch said Friday that Baddoo had more tests done after some continued wrist soreness since the start of spring training. Those tests revealed the hamate hook fracture in his right hand that was surgically repaired Thursday.
Baddoo, 26, who has been with the Tigers since 2021, is at spring training as a non-roster player. He was designated for assignment in December after Detroit signed veteran right-hander Alex Cobb to a $15 million, one-year contract. Baddoo cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Toledo.
Cobb is expected to miss the start of the season after an injection to treat hip inflammation that developed as the right-hander was throwing at the start of camp. He has had hip surgery twice.
Baddoo hit .137 with two homers and five RBIs in 31 games last season. The left-hander has a .226 career average with 28 homers and 103 RBI in 340 games.
After the Tigers acquired him from Minnesota in the Rule 5 draft at the winter meetings in December 2020, Baddoo hit .259 with 13 homers, 55 RBIs, 18 stolen bases and a .330 on-base percentage in 124 games as a rookie in 2021. Those are all career bests.
Roberts said he had spoken with Miller, who was still in concussion protocol after getting struck by a 105.5 mph liner hit by Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch in the first game of spring training Thursday.
The manager said Miller indicated that there was no fracture or any significant bruising.
“He said in his words, ‘I have a hard head.’ He was certainly in good spirits,” Roberts said.
Miller immediately fell to the ground while holding his head, but quickly got up on his knees as medical staff rushed onto the field. The 25-year-old right-hander was able to walk off the field on his own.
“He feels very confident that he can kind of pick up his throwing program soon,” said Roberts, who was unsure of that timing. “But he’s just got to keep going through the concussion protocol just to make sure that we stay on the right track.”
Miller entered spring training in the mix for a spot in the starting rotation. He had a 2-4 record with an 8.52 ERA over 13 starts last season, after going 11-4 with a 3.76 in 22 starts as a rookie in 2023.
PHOENIX — Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Blake Perkins is expected to miss the first month of the season after fracturing his right shin during batting practice.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy revealed the severity of Perkins’ injury before their Cactus League opener Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds.
“They’re estimating another three to four weeks to heal and a ramp-up of four to six weeks,” Murphy said. “So you’re probably looking at May.”
Perkins, 28, batted .240 with a .316 on-base percentage, six homers, 43 RBIs and 23 steals in 121 games last season. He also was a National League Gold Glove finalist at center field.
“Perkins is a big part of our team,” Murphy said. “The chemistry of the team, the whole thing, Perk’s huge. He’s one of the most loved guys on the club, and he’s a great defender, coming into his own as an offensive player. Yeah, it’s going to hurt us.”
Murphy also said right-handed pitcher J.B. Bukauskas has what appears to be a serious lat injury and is debating whether to undergo surgery. Bukauskas had a 1.50 ERA in six relief appearances last year but missed much of the season with a lat issue.