The Four Nations Faceoff is finally here as the NHL season takes a pause. NHL players representing Sweden, Finland, USA, and Canada are in Montreal as the tournament begins on Wednesday night. Canada and Sweden are the first games, followed by the USA and Finland on Thursday.
However, there is pressure on players to perform in this tournament as some look to reset their season to help their NHL clubs with the stretch drive. Not to mention, there is pressure on some of these players to prove they can get it done on the big stage in the big moment. As Matthew Tkachuk of Team USA noted, these games are like Four Game 7s.
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 Canada and Sweden ahead of tonight’s game.
Four Nations Faceoff: Pressure Is On To Step Up
Mitch Marner – F – Canada
Look, it is easy to signal out Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner. However, given the lack of success and production in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, this is going to be a measuring stick for when the second season starts in the NHL. Fair or not, that is how players are judged. The pending UFA will be looking to cash in on July 1st. But everyone knows his history in the playoffs.
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There he was, playing alongside Auston Matthews. At the Four Nations, he plays on a line with Connor McDavid. There is no hiding for Marner. He needs to produce for Canada to win the Gold and take home the “Four Nations Cup.” We have not seen Marner on the international stage at this level. He played at the 2016 World Juniors for Canada and led the team in scoring with six points, including four goals.
However, this is his first taste of best-on-best International Hockey. Is it fair to point to his playoff stats? No, but if you look at the numbers and the games, he has 50 points (11 goals and 39 assists) in 57 games. While those are good, it is how the Leafs lost. Most of those points came in 2023, when he had 14 points in 11 games. But it is the performances that people remember when the team needed him the most. So people want to see what he can do.
A player that could use this tournament as a launching pad for the rest of the season is Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson. Pettersson has been in trade talks all season, even going back to last season before signing a new eight-year contract extension. In 49 games with the Canucks this season, Pettersson has 34 points (11 goals and 23 assists). This is a far cry from what he has done in the last two seasons.
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He has gone through slumps before, and things get magnified in the Canadian Market, but as Pettersson told NHLRumors.com on Tuesday during Media Day, that is in the past, and he is looking forward to playing for Team Sweden.
“Yeah, I mean, it hasn’t been my best season, but that’s in the past, I’m just trying to look forward, ahead, and I’m very excited for this,” Pettersson said. “We had a good game against Toronto and I think I was happy with my game then, so just trying to build on that.”
In his last World Championship, he had one point in eight games, and Sweden finished fifth. That was in 2019. He played in 2018, where Sweden won gold, but he was injured in most of the tournament. He still had three points in five games. During Team Sweden practice, Pettersson did look like a different player. He knows there is pressure to perform.
Mika Zibanejad – F – Sweden
Obviously, Mika Zibanejad is the biggest guy on Team Sweden, and he needs to step up and find his game. Zibanejad is the hero from the 2012 World Juniors against Russia in Calgary. That year, he scored the only overtime gold medal goal. He had a clutch gene in the playoffs, especially when he played for the Ottawa Senators. During his early years with the New York Rangers, that gene was present, too, but recently, it has gone away.
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Zibanejad also misspoke about playing at this level. He was on the 2018 Sweden team that won gold, and his last event was not the 2012 World Juniors. In that 2018 World Championship, Zibanejad had 11 points (six goals and five assists) in 10 games. So, the talent is there. It has been there all season for the Rangers, but it is coming.
Since the trade by the Rangers to get J.T. Miller, Zibanejad has eight points (two goals and six assists) in five games. He is starting to turn it around. The Four Nations Face-off could translate to success as the Rangers try to make the playoffs when the NHL resumes.
Jordan Binnington – G – Canada
Finally, the biggest pressure might be on Jordan Binnington. Canadian coach Jon Cooper announced that Binnington would be the starter. It doesn’t matter the International event, goaltending for Canada always takes center stage. There was some debate on who would be the starter this year, too.
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It came down to Adin Hill and Binnington, and Canada decided to go with the 2019 Stanley Cup-winning goalie, not the 2023 one. Binnington and the St. Louis Blues have not had the best of seasons, and they sit on the outside looking in. His numbers aren’t the best, with a 2.89 GAA and a .897 save percentage. That will not get it done in a short tournament like this one. One loss could mean a gold medal or going home on Monday.
If Binnington does not perform, Adin Hill could be called for the game against the Americans. Canada wants to stick with one guy, so maybe the pressure will help Binnington perform.
Another player who could use the Four Nations Faceoff as a catalyst is Elias Lindholm of Sweden. He knows that the Boston Bruins have had a difficult season, and he wants to go out there and play his game. He hopes this will carry over into the rest of the season.
Four Nations Face-off gets underway Wednesday night as Canada takes on Sweden at the Bell Centre.
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