February 2025 introduces new goodies on top of the historical midseason festivities, with the traditional All-Star Game being replaced by the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off. The international hockey extravaganza pits the game’s powerhouses: Canada, the United States, Sweden, and Finland, in a round-robin format tournament and a high-stakes finale.
The competition takes place in the Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston, two iconic grounds for sports fans.
Team Betting Chances
The tournament starts in less than a month, and here is a look at every team’s chances for the 4 Nations Face-Off:
Canada
Canada go into the tournament as heavy favorites, but it remains a close call between them and neighbors United States. They boast a highly impressive side with offensive prowess, led by Conor McDavid, Sydney Crosby, and Nathan MacKinnon. In both defense and offense, it is already a formidable side that can face anyone, but uncertainties still linger over who, between Adin Hill and Jordan Binnington will be given the nod in goal.
United States
Then comes Team USA, a combination of a highly talented offensive squad and the deepest blue line going into the tournament. General Manager Bill Guerin has tough decisions to make as the tournament fast approaches, but Connor Helleybuyck and Jake Oettinger are top contenders to lead the goal. He hopes to use home advantage to first upset the two European sides, with a USA-Canada finale in sight. However, nothing is cast in stone, and despite the odds currently favoring the North American sides, an upset could be on the cards. Hockey betting fans can check out the bookies with the most lucrative odds and place wagers before the start of the tournament.
Sweden
Sweden come into the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament with little pressure on their backs, and that could work in their favor. They have a relatively good squad in their ranks, led by William Nylander, Rasmus Dahlin, and Filip Forsberg. They will trust goaltender Jacob Markstrom to keep the scorelines respectable when they face the offensive sides Canada and the United States.
Finland
The group’s dark horses, Finland, have a good all-around lineup but not as strong team depth as the other teams. They will avoid becoming the whipping boys of the tournament, and bettors will be keen on how strong teams rest their squads against Finland, which could be a recipe for upsetting the form book for the favorites.
4 Nations Face-Off Format
The National Hockey League (NHL) has already announced plans to halt its regular season to allow the new tournament to start on February 12th and run until February 20th. All teams face each other in a round-robin format, with points awarded as follows:
- 3 points for a win in regular time
- 2 points for a win in overtime or shootout
- 1 point for a loss in overtime or shootout
- 0 points for a loss in regular time
The top two sides in the group phase meet in the all-stakes final.
The 2025 4 Nations Face-Off will be seen as a promising addition to the already-existing calendar in the game of hockey. While there could be plans to make the tournament bigger in the future, Canada and the United States are already favorites to meet in the finals, but who will bag the bragging rights on February 20th?
