The Four Nations Faceoff is underway, with Canada and Sweden taking to the ice on Wednesday night. Canada defeated Sweden by a score of 4-3 in overtime. Before that game got underway, NHLRumors.com gave you players from Canada and Sweden facing pressure to either step up or use this tournament as a catalyst to propel them forward in the rest of the NHL season.
Four Nations Faceoff: Players From Canada and Sweden Face Pressure to Perform
As we saw, the intensity was high between Sweden and Canada. It should be no different for Finland and Team USA on Thursday night inside the Bell Centre.
In part two of our series, we look at the players from the USA and Finland who will be feeling the most pressure to perform. In addition, we will give you a couple of players who can use the tournament to help them when the NHL returns to gameplay.
So, who will rise to the occasion for their respective clubs once the puck drops in these high-intensity games? Let’s Dive in looking at two players from each club ahead of tonight’s game.
Four Nations Faceoff: Pressure Is On To Step Up
Auston Matthews – F – USA
Mitch Marner is not the only Toronto Maple Leafs player under a lot of stress heading into this tournament. Again, it is still early, but Marner delivered in Game 1 for Canada. Now it is Auston Matthews’s turn to do it for Team USA. Whether it is fair or not, you know about the success or lack thereof in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Maple Leafs. Matthews has shown moments in the playoffs, but it always takes him a couple of games to get going.
He can’t afford to do that in such a short tournament as the Four Nations Face-off is. If you look at his numbers, Matthews has 48 points (23 goals and 25 assists) in 55 playoff games. He did have 11 points in 11 games during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. But we all know how that second-round series ended against Florida. Most of his points were collected in the first round against Tampa Bay. So, he needs to show he can get it done early.
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Remember last year, Matthews missed the final two games of the playoffs against the Boston Bruins with an injury. So this tournament, playing with Jake Guentzel and Jack Hughes, will be part of a redemption tour. Matthews played at the World Championships in 2016 for Team USA, and his last medal came at the 2016 World Juniors. There, he tied for the tournament lead with seven goals. Matthews is viewed as one of the best players in the world and will have a lot to prove.
Patrik Laine – F – Finland
This is the kind of tournament that will help someone like Patrik Laine. When the rosters first were announced, Laine had not touched the ice for the Montreal Canadiens as he was dealing with an injury from the preseason. However, GM Jeri Lehtinen knew why he put Laine on the team: because of his skill and what he can do on the powerplay.
When he returned to the Canadiens lineup, Laine started off on fire. He recorded eight goals in nine games, all of which came on the power play because of his lethal shot from the circle. He made a living on that shot when he played for the Winnipeg Jets. His game has cooled off some, but so have the Canadiens. Laine has gone 10 straight games without a goal. His last goal came back on January 19th.
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Laine has 12 goals on the season, 10 of which are on the power play. So special teams in a short tournament like this will be important. We have not seen Laine on this stage since 2016. He won World Junior gold in Finland and won silver at the Worlds in the same year. He tied Matthews with the tournament lead with seven goals. Laine is a player that can step up here and will look to get his game going. He hopes it will carry over for the rest of the regular season.
Mikko Rantanen – F – Finland
Everyone will say, why Mikko Rantanen is on this list? Well, ever since the trade from the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes, he has not been the same player. Let’s be honest here: Rantanen isn’t the same player he was in Colorado. Not to mention, he is still in shock that he got traded. He has two points (one goal and one assist) in six games with the Hurricanes. Before that, he had 64 points (25 goals and 39 assists) in 49 games with the Avalanche.
We know who Rantanen is as a player. He is called Moose for a reason, but different coaching styles and systems affect how players play. Finland is defensive-minded, but they have the offensive ability to get things going. Playing on a line with current teammate Sebastian Aho and former teammate Artturi Lehkonen should help Rantanen find his game.
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Again, because Colorado has been so successful in the playoffs, we have not seen Rantanen on this stage. Though he did play in 2023, registering nine points in eight games, all assists, the last time he really played was in 2017 and 2018. In 2017, he had 10 points (four goals and six assists) in 10 games. The following year, he had 11 points (five goals and six assists) in eight games. So we know the talent and skill is there. The Four Nations Faceoff could be a good turning point for Rantanen to get him on track in Carolina.
Connor Hellebuyck – G – USA
Another goalie facing pressure is Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck. Hellebuyck is viewed as one of the best goalies in the world, but on the big stage, he has faulted over the last couple of seasons in Winnipeg. Now, to be fair, the Jets play him every game, and he might be taxed by the time playoffs start, but still, the best goalies in the world get it done on the big stage.
This is a big stage for Hellebuyck and Team USA. Everyone says the Americans have the best goalies in the world. If you look at the odds, they are co-favorites, along with Canada, to win. Not just because of their guys upfront but because of the guy in between the pipes, Connor Hellebuyck. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner is having another phenomenal season.
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Through 43 Games with the Jets, he has a record of 34-7-2 with a 2.06 GAA and a .925 save percentage. Those are elite numbers. He is on his way to another Vezina Trophy-winning season. The question will be, can he get it done at this stage? He has played for Team USA twice at the Worlds. Once in 2015 and once in 2017. Though he put up good numbers in 2017, his numbers in 2015 were outstanding, with a record of 7-1 with a 1.37 GAA and a .948 save percentage,e and he was named First Team All-Star by the media. So he can go to that level for Team USA.
Four Nations Face-off continues Thursday night as Team USA takes on Finland at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
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