{"id":462457,"date":"2025-02-13T08:00:10","date_gmt":"2025-02-13T13:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=462457"},"modified":"2025-02-12T21:21:16","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T02:21:16","slug":"4-nations-face-off-predictions-united-states-vs-finland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/02\/13\/4-nations-face-off-predictions-united-states-vs-finland\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Nations Face-Off Predictions: United States vs. Finland"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The 4 Nations Face-Off has begun! After <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/02\/12\/2025-4-nations-face-off-predictions-featuring-canada-versus-sweden\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Canada and Sweden started the fun on Wednesday<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, the tournament continues on Thursday, with the United States taking on Finland from the Bell Centre in Montreal. It will be the first game of the tournament for both teams.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">4 Nations Face-Off<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">United States vs. Finland<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Time:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">8:00 P.M. Eastern Time<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">TV:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">ESPN, ESPN+<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">As mentioned earlier, both the United States and Finland begin play in the 4 Nations Face-Off. The last time the United States and Finland met in international play with NHL stars, Finland walked away with the bronze medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/selante01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-02-12_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Teemu Selanne<\/a>, playing in his final Olympics, scored two goals and was named the MVP of the Tournament.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ice Hockey - Men&#039;s Bronze Medal Game - USA v Finland | Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RtndDd18Dhs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Eleven years later, the NHL stars of today take the ice for the two countries. It may not be the Olympics, but it is an opportunity to represent one&#8217;s country in international play. The pride of representing one&#8217;s country is something NHL players have missed since the league decided to stop participating in the Olympics.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Team USA Turns to 2x Vezina Winner to Begin Tournament<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/h\/helleco01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-02-12_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Connor Hellebuyck<\/a> has led the <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?s=winnipeg+jets\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Winnipeg Jets success this season<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. The league leader in wins gets the nod to start between the pipes to open the Tournament for Team USA. With <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/o\/oettija01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-02-12_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jake Oettinger<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/swaymje01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-02-12_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jeremy Swayman<\/a> also on the roster, choosing a starting goalie was not easy. However, Hellebuyck&#8217;s resume speaks for itself. He is the clear choice to open the Tournament.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The rest of the <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/12\/04\/4-nations-face-off-team-usa-roster-announced\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Team USA roster<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> consists of many NHL stars. For the first time in their professional career, Matthew Tkachuk and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/t\/tkachbr01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-02-12_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brady Tkachuk<\/a> will play on the same team. Jack Eichel takes his point-per-game play to Team USA, where he looks to more accolades alongside his 2023 Stanley Cup victory. Furthermore, former Hart winner and near 70-goal scorer, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/matthau01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-02-12_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Auston Matthews<\/a>, headlines the roster&#8217;s cast of stars. Team USA has a roster capable of winning the tournament, but they will have to get through Team Canada at some point, one would imagine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Despite Down Year, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/sarosju01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-02-12_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Juuse Saros<\/a> Gets the Nod for Finland<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Despite a disappointing season for the <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?s=nashville+predators\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Nashville Predators<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, Juuse Saros will start between the pipes for Finland. Playing in his tenth NHL season, Saros has a career 193-142-38 record with a .915 save percentage and 2.66 goals against average. While the season itself has not gone well for Saros, his resume does suggest he is someone Finland can turn to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Finland&#8217;s roster is not as deep as the United States, but it still contains talent. It also includes four members of the <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?s=florida+panthers\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Florida Panthers<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, the <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/06\/25\/2024-nhl-stanley-cup-final-series-review\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">reigning Stanley Cup Champions<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. Another former champion, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/r\/rantami01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-02-12_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mikko Rantanen<\/a>, has the most goals on the team with 26 goals. While Finland may not be the favourites in the tournament, the championship pedigree on the roster can help carry the team.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Prediction<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Team USA has the deeper roster and the better goaltender. While Team Finland should not be overlooked, Team USA comes away with their first victory.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Team USA wins, 4-1. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Prop Bets<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This may not be an NHL game, but do not think we are forgetting about the prop bets!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The over\/under is set at 6.5 goals. We are taking the under with five total goals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">For Team Finland, we are going to take <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/barkoal01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-02-12_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aleksander Barkov<\/a> as an anytime scorer. For Team USA, we are rolling with Tkachuk. Which one? Well, we are going with both Matthew and Brady to light the lamp for the United States. The <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/07\/25\/the-tkachuks-st-louiss-royal-family\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Tkachuk family<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> will continue to make hockey history.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Main Photo: Marc DesRosiers- Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Please play responsibly. Check for your local rules and age restrictions. Some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Have a gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 4 Nations Face-Off has begun! After Canada and Sweden started the fun on Wednesday, the tournament continues on Thursday, with the United States taking on Finland from the Bell Centre in Montreal. It will be the first game of the tournament for both teams.\u00a0 4 Nations Face-Off United States vs. Finland Time:\u00a08:00 P.M. Eastern [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3464,"featured_media":462465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8091,4547,304,4524],"tags":[1083,228,2133,7057,213,1401,701,301,5726,617],"class_list":["post-462457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-4-nations-face-off","category-hockey","category-international-hockey","category-nhl-predictions","tag-aleksander-barkov","tag-auston-matthews","tag-brady-tkachuk","tag-connor-hellbuyck","tag-jack-eichel","tag-juuse-saros","tag-matthew-tkachuk","tag-mikko-rantanen","tag-team-finland","tag-team-usa"],"modified_by":"Andrew Willis","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3464"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=462457"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462457\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":462466,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462457\/revisions\/462466"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/462465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=462457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=462457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=462457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}