2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off Odds and Predictions

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The NHL and the NHL Players Association (NHLPA) decided that this year, instead of a traditional All-Star game, the league would hold the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off. Four teams will participate in the tournament representing 4 nations – Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States.

NHL players from these four countries will make up the rosters. Instead of the old East versus West format or the more recent four-team, three-on-three format, each nation will select its players from NHL teams. The player must, of course, be native to the country he is representing. You can learn more about these players and the NHL at our Scores & Stats NHL blog. 

Teams will carry 12-13 forwards, 6-7 defensemen, and three goalies. These games will feature the best players in the entire world. After the 4 Nations Face-Off ends, this collection of 90 or so players get back to their day jobs and keep plugging away in an effort to win the 2025 Stanley Cup. 

Make sure you bookmark Scores & Stats and, more specifically, our NHL experts pages where they provide in-depth analysis, odds, and predictions for this season’s Stanley Cup. These pages are continually updated and will keep you ahead of the competition through the rest of the NHL season and through the Stanley Cup playoffs. 

4 Nations Face-Off Schedule 

The idea for a four-team tournament was brought to the table as world hockey organizations prepare for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The more traditional NHL All-Star game will resume in 2026 when the game will be held in New York City hosted by the Islanders.

This year, though, it’s all about the 4 Nations Face-Off. The big question on hockey fans’ minds is when is 4 Nations Face-Off? Don’t worry. Scores & Stats has you covered. Here is the complete 4 Nations Face-Off schedule:

• Wednesday, Feb. 12: Canada vs. Sweden, 8 pm | TNT
• Thursday, Feb. 13: USA vs. Finland, 8 pm | ESPN
• Saturday, Feb. 15: Finland vs. Sweden, 1 pm | ABC
• Saturday, Feb. 15: USA vs. Canada, 8 pm | ABC
• Monday, Feb. 17: Canada vs. Finland, 1 pm | TNT
• Monday, Feb. 17: Sweden vs. USA, 8 pm | TNT
• Thursday, Feb. 20: Championship game, 8 pm | ESPN

The first four games on the schedule will be held at the Bell Centre in Montreal. The final three games, including the championship, will be held in Boston at the TD Garden. 

Teams will get three points for a win in regulation and two points for a win in overtime or in a shootout. An overtime/shoot-out loss earns one point and none are awarded for a team that loses in regulation play. 

After each team has played the other three, the two teams with the highest point total will play each other for the 4 Nations Face-Off championship. 

4 Nations Face-Off Odds

Check out the latest 4 Nations Face-Off hockey odds courtesy of the best sports betting sites. 

One look at Canada’s lineup and instantly you see the talent and depth that the Great White North has. The Canadians’ first line will feature three of the best scorers – if not the three best – in the world: Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, and Sidney Crosby. It’s easy to see why Canada is the +135 favorite heading into the tournament.

Finland is the longshot at +700, but may be worth some consideration. Brand new Carolina Hurricane Mikko Rantanen gets to team up with his new NHL teammate Sebastian Aho. That familiarity will help the Fins as they seek to pull the upset.

Team USA (+170) will have arguably the best goaltender in the world right now in Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets. The American forwards are outstanding as well with the likes of Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk, and Jack Eichel, to name a few.

The Swedes have some of the best defensemen in the NHL – Erik Karlsson and Victor Hedman are among them. But, Sweden did have to make some late roster changes as F William Karlsson and G Jakob Markstrom will not play. Sweden’s odds to win could lengthen before the start of the tournament. 

4 Nations Face-Off Teams

Let’s take a closer look at each of the 4 Nations Face-Off rosters and breakdown their chances in this tournament. 

Canada

Team Canada is the favorite to win this tournament and for good reason. They have some of the best scorers in the world. They’re strong on defense and Jordan Binnington and Adin Hill are quality goaltenders. Sidney Crosby is the captain and he probably won’t even play on Canada’s top line.

The top line will be reserved for two of the top four scorers in the NHL right now – Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid. MacKinnon has 80 points and is second in the NHL while McDavid has 71 (22 goals) and is fourth. Both of their teams are among favorites to win the Western Conference. Canada will put Florida Panthers leading scorer Sam Reinhart – he has 31 goals and 60 points – on the line with McDavid and MacKinnon.

Cale Makar may be the best defenseman in the world right now. He’s a top-20 scorer in the NHL and he’s got one Norris Trophy already to his name. Makar was the Conn Smythe winner in 2022, the MVP of the Stanley Cup playoffs when Colorado took home the trophy.

Binnington and Hill have had their ups and downs during their NHL careers. Both are solid netminders. Binnington has a career GAA of 2.78. Hill’s career GAA is 2.68.

USA

Matthews will serve as the Team USA captain. Matthews is a special talent who was the first American-born player selected No. 1 overall in an NHL draft. He also became the first American-born player to score 60 goals in an NHL season when he did it in 2021-22. Last year, he one-upped himself (or nine-upped) when he scored 69 goals to lead the NHL. Matthews has 20 through 36 games this season.

The Team USA captain will be surrounded by plenty of talent, including Jake Guentzel (26 goals), Jack Hughes (23), and Matthew Tkachuk (19). Of course, the big one is Hellebuyck who is just killing it this season. He’s got 33 wins as the Winnipeg goalie. He leads the NHL with a 2.04 GAA and he’s second in save percentage (.925). 

The Americans also have a number of “offense-first” defenders like Adam Fox, Quinn Hughes, Charlie McAvoy. Hughes recently passed Makar as the top-scoring defenseman in the NHL. Hughes has 14 goals and 59 points, one more than Makar.

Sweden

If Sweden is going to pull the upset in this tournament, they are going to do it with defense. They are the deepest team in the 4 Nations Face-Off when it comes to quality defensemen. Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning has been a finalist for the NHL’s Norris Trophy (best defenseman) six different times. He’s won the award twice. 

The Swedes will have a strong first line with William Nylander, Mika Zibanejad, and Jesper Bratt. Bratt has 16 goals and 61 points for New Jersey while Nylander is second in the NHL with 33 goals. He has 55 points for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have been battling Florida for the top spot in the Atlantic Division.  After that line though, Sweden has some holes.

Leo Carlsson is a scratch and Joel Eriksson Ek has missed significant time for Minnesota this season. Even Zibanejad in the middle of the first line leaves some questions. That’s why guys like Nylander will have to carry Sweden. The question is how long will they be able to do that, if at all.

Finland

The Fins are the longshot in this tournament. Compared to the other three nations, Finland just doesn’t compare in just about any category. Sweden has the defensive edge and Canada and Team USA are both loaded with scorers. Finland, however, will simply do what it has always done – find a way to compete. 

At the last World Cup of Hockey in 2016, the Fins scored just one goal. They didn’t make the playoff round and that single event fueled Finland over the next several years. Finland won the gold medal at the 2019 and 2022 World Championships and captured gold at the 2022 Winter Olympics. That was, of course, played without NHL players, but still Finnish hockey is in a good place. 

While the Fins don’t have the depth of Team USA or Canada, they do have some great talent. As mentioned earlier, Aho will team up with his new Carolina teammate Mikko Rantanen. Roope HIntz and Kaapo Kakko are two more offensive talents that should help the Fins be competitive. It all starts for Finland when they take on Team USA in their first game on Feb. 13.  

Finland does have the worst defensive depth among the teams in the 4 Nations Face-Off. That could be an issue, especially against the scoring talent of Canada and the USA. Goalie Kevin Lankinen of Vancouver should provide quality time in the net. He’s 18-8-7 this season with a 2.57 GAA. He has four shutouts this season, which is tied for fourth in the NHL.

4 Nations Face-Off Predictions

In tournaments like the World Championships and the Olympics, it is typically defense that wins these things. Sweden has the best defensive crew in the tournament, but offensively they will be challenged. The Swedes last won a World Championship in 2018.

Canada’s roster almost doesn’t seem fair. McDavid, MacKinnon, and Makar are three of the best in the world. Add in a sniper like Sam Reinhart and goalies like Binnington and Hill and you have the makings of another champion. If they all played on the same NHL team, NHL picks would be easy. Team Canada were the gold medalists last year at the World Hockey Championships held in Finland and Latvia. 

But, Team Canada, nor Finland or Sweden, has the best goaltender in the world right now – Connor Hellebuyck. He is the difference maker. Team USA has enough firepower on offense to skate with each of the teams in this tournament. Hellebuyck gives the Americans the edge to win it all.

Bet: Team USA +170