MONTREAL – That sure lived up to the billing.
After so much anticipation for the first best-on-best tournament featuring NHL players in nine years, after so much suspense to see what Canada could do by teaming up stars Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and legendary Sidney Crosby on the same ice surface, Sweden came oh-so-close to stunning Canada in the scintillating first game of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
After blowing a two-goal lead, Canada pulled off a 4-3 victory late in an end-to-end, exhilarating overtime when Mitch Marner whizzed the winner past Filip Gustavsson.
The round-robin tournament awards three points for a regulation win, two for an overtime win and one for an overtime loss, so Canada essentially lost a point in the standings.
It was an unfortunate ending for Gustavsson, who was simply awesome in overtime by denying MacKinnon four times and Makar, Marner and Brayden Point one time each. But after Marner’s Toronto Maple Leafs teammate, William Nylander, lost the puck on a scoring chance on the other end, Marner took Crosby’s neutral-zone drop pass, skated into the offensive zone and scored the winner. It was Crosby’s third assist of the game.
MITCH MARNER!!! 🚨
He wins it for Canada in just an amazing overtime! 🍁 #4Nations pic.twitter.com/lcXpPbkoBw
— NHL (@NHL) February 13, 2025
It took 56 seconds in the first period for McDavid, Crosby and MacKinnon to team up on a gorgeous MacKinnon power-play goal, and it felt like the Swedes were in deep trouble. Sweden took 17 minutes, 16 seconds to register its first shot.
But the Swedes came roaring back, getting goals from Jonas Brodin and Adrian Kempe before Brodin’s Minnesota Wild teammate Joel Eriksson Ek tied the score midway through the third period to force OT.
Brad Marchand and Mark Stone also scored for Canada and Jordan Binnington made 23 saves. Gustavsson, who got the nod over Linus Ullmark and made a spectacular blocker save on Devon Toews in the third period to preserve the 3-3 tie, made 24 for Sweden.
FILIP GUSTAVSSON MY GOODNESS 😮 #4Nations
🇺🇸: @NHL_On_TNT & @SportsonMax ➡️ https://t.co/4TuyIATi3T
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/YIxZyioSpL— NHL (@NHL) February 13, 2025
It was the first time Canada faced Sweden in a best-on-best tournament since the gold-medal game in Sochi 11 years ago. Canada extended its win streak in best-on-best competition to 17 games dating back to the U.S. defeating Canada in the prelims at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
The news wasn’t all good for Canada as Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore hurt his right arm and was unable to return to the game.
Canada is off until Saturday night, when they face the rival United States. Sweden also plays Finland on Saturday.
The 4 Nations Face-Off continues Thursday when the United States plays Finland.
Wild buddies turn game upside down
When Canada scored 56 seconds in, it was natural for all to think a rout was in the offing.
Not so fast, said a couple of longtime pals from Karlstad, Sweden.
Eriksson Ek and Brodin, a pair of Minnesota Wild first-round picks who hail from the same small hometown in Sweden, live on the same lake in the offseason and played their Swedish Elite League hockey for their hometown Farjestad, each scored goals to give Sweden a stunning chance.
Brodin, a 2011 first-round pick and playing his off side on Sweden’s top pair with Victor Hedman, snapped a shot through a screen after some hard work by Lucas Raymond to cut a 2-0 deficit in half.
Brodin gets Sweden on the board 🇸🇪 pic.twitter.com/WjO6mOTyVy
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 13, 2025
Then, at 8:59 of the third after Raymond won a 50-50 puck off a faceoff, Jesper Bratt hit Eriksson Ek with a cross-crease pass for the tying goal.
JESPER BRATT TO JOEL ERIKSSON EK! SWEDEN TIES IT UP AT 3 IN THE THIRD PERIOD 🇸🇪#4Nations pic.twitter.com/vFnfXU9MQE
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) February 13, 2025
Biggest fear comes to fruition in first game
The biggest concern heading into the 4 Nations Face-Off was the probability that an important player could be injured in an invented tournament before returning to his NHL team for the season’s stretch drive.
After all, as Hall of Fame hockey writer Michael Farber quipped, this is a tournament with no past and no future — this is a one-off until the 2026 Olympics and the 2028 World Cup of Hockey that’s expected to include eight teams.
Well, early in the second, those fears came true when Theodore hurt his right arm on an innocuous check from Kempe. Theodore went to the bench with his arm pinned to his body. After being looked at by the athletic trainer, Theodore skated to the exit and headed to the medical room.
Shea Theodore goes to the Canada locker room after a collision with Adrian Kempe pic.twitter.com/nXjUlX8QdM
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 13, 2025
If Theodore is unable to play Saturday night, Travis Sanheim will be inserted into Canada’s lineup.
‘Sid the Kid’ looks like Sid the Kid
Crosby may be the tournament’s oldest player at age 37, but he sure looked like Sid the Kid of yesteryear.
Late to officially commit because of an upper-body injury, Crosby showed no signs of the ailment during a terrific performance. Not only did he set up MacKinnon with a beautiful pass, he skated deep into Sweden’s zone in the second period and, with Gustav Forsling defending, Crosby pulled up, turned and set up Stone’s one-timer for a 3-1 Canada lead.
Sidney Crosby with another FILTHY assist, this time to Mark Stone 🤢🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/Yvw6OgmCdO
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) February 13, 2025
It was a big goal at the time because Sweden had been pushing hard in the period, turning a 7-3 shot deficit into 13-12 at the time of the Stone tally.
Canada’s sublime power play connects immediately
It took just 12 seconds of power-play time for Canada’s top unit to strike, with MacKinnon converting a slick cross-crease backhand pass from his good friend Crosby shortly after William Nylander was sent off for high-sticking.
MCDAVID ➡️ CROSBY ➡️ MACKINNON
CANADA’S POWER PLAY OPENS UP #4NATIONS FACE-OFF WITH A BANG 💥🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/5qzZNIxeVw
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 13, 2025
Canada devoted a significant chunk of time to special teams work during its practices Monday and Tuesday, knowing that it could be a difference-maker in the tournament.
Fittingly, it was Crosby who led those discussions, urging teammates not to overpass or overthink things. With Makar at the point, MacKinnon and McDavid on the flanks, Sam Reinhart in the bumper and Crosby at the net-front, there’s no shortage of weapons to punish opponents with the man advantage.
“We just did something with Sid and he made a good point: ‘You’re trying to communicate as much as possible just to really get a feel for what guys like to do and then when it’s game time we’re just playing, so the talking’s over,”’ MacKinnon said Tuesday. “We’re trying to just build as much chemistry as possible. I think when you do speak a lot to each other and try to really break things down there’s less guessing out there.
“You have a plan.”
While MacKinnon and Crosby spend plenty of time training together during the summer in Halifax, this is the first time they’ve played on the same team since winning gold for Canada at the 2015 IIHF World Championships.
The tournament-opening goal should ease the nerves of MacKinnon, the reigning Hart Trophy winner who acknowledged feeling the pressure to deliver on home ice.
“It’s an important event,” he said. “Obviously, we all take representing Canada very seriously. We know we have a ton of support. That pressure, I think it’s a good thing — it means you’re doing something important.”
Don’t hear this everyday
Of the many incredible moments that happened Wednesday night, including Canada’s Mario Lemieux, Sweden’s Daniel Alfredsson, the United States’ Mike Richter and Finland’s Teemu Selanne taking part in the ceremonial faceoff, the funniest thing that may have happened was Marchand getting an exaggeratedly loud ovation inside Bell Centre.
Habs fans detest the Boston Bruins star/agitator, yet Marchand heard it from the Canadian faithful when he gave Canada a 2-0 lead on a perfect two-on-one pass from Brayden Point in the first period.
Marchand got a kick out of it on the bench with an almost, “How do you like me now, folks?” smile.
Canada is 8-0 all-time when Brad Marchand scores
(World Cup & World Championship) pic.twitter.com/BI05Evosum— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) February 13, 2025
(Photo of Mark Stone, Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)
