Canada vs. Sweden takes place tonight at 8 p.m. ET in at the Bell Centre in Montreal. It will be broadcast on TNT, TruTV, and streaming on Max.
This is the first best-on-best international hockey tournament since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
In the 2022 Winter Olympics, Finland came away with the gold medal and Canada failed to medal. However, that tournament didn’t include the NHL superstars we have this week.
Check out my pick and prediction for Canada vs. Sweden in the 4 Nations Face-Off.
| Canada Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Puck Line | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -130 | 5.5 -130o / +114u | +195 |
| Sweden Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Puck Line | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +110 | 5.5 -130o / +114u | -238 |
- Canada vs. Sweden puck line: Canada -1.5, Sweden +1.5
- Canada vs. Sweden over/under: 5.5
- Canada vs. Sweden moneyline: Canada ML -238, Sweden ML +195
Canada Preview
Fans finally get to live out their dream.
Even though he’s the ripe age of 36, Sidney Crosby is still among one of the best players in the NHL and fans have yearned for the possibility of Crosby playing with Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon.
While they’re not lined up on the same line, all three will be on Canada’s first power play alongside former Norris winner Cale Makar and 50-goal scorer Sam Reinhart.
Canada’s top six is among the more deadly units in this tournament, with the bottom six containing more meat-and-potatoes type of players. Players like Anthony Cirelli and Travis Konecny — while they can generate a decent amount of offense — were most likely brought in to play more of a grinding role.
I’ll be curious about Canada’s goaltending though. They’ll be sending out Stanley Cup winners Adin Hill and Jordan Binnington, but based on their recent play, it’s hard to be encouraged by them. Hill just barely squeaked by the .900 SV% threshold, while Binnington has dealt with inconsistency issues since winning the Cup.
Sweden Preview
The Swedes will always have a place at the table. For years, Sweden has continued to produce NHL stars at a rapid rate, and this generation is no different.
Sweden’s top-nine can sneak up on you if you don’t watch out. Elias Pettersson will most likely center 40-goal scorers Filip Forsberg and Adrian Kempe, which has potential to be one of the tournament’s highest scoring lines.
It’ll be interesting to see how Pettersson’s game holds up, though, now that the drama surrounding him and his former Canucks’ teammate, J.T. Miller, has been resolved. Pettersson averaged well over a point per game in the past two seasons, but he’s way below that mark this season.
A strength of this roster is the blue line. Former Norris Trophy winners Victor Hedman and Erik Karlsson will lead the charge, followed by stout defenders in Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Ekholm.
Additionally, Sweden will be rolling out goaltender Filip Gustavsson, who has solidified himself as a top goaltender in this league. Since arriving in Minnesota, he’s posted a .915 SV% in three years with the Wild.
Canada vs. Sweden Prediction and Pick
As much as I like Sweden’s talent, it’s too hard not to back Canada. Long term in this tournament, the goaltending does concern me despite Hill and Binnington owning prestigious track records.
But this season both goaltenders have been mediocre at best, so I wonder if they’ll be facing a lot of shots, or if Canada’s defense slows down the speed of Sweden.
MoneyPuck has this game going to Canada, favoring the red-shirts 66% to 34%, and I can’t blame it one bit.
While Sweden has the name value on the blue line, I wonder if it’ll be able to contain Canada. McDavid and MacKinnon aren’t on the same line, but Mitch Marner is lined up with McDavid and Reinhart.
We haven’t even mentioned Marner’s potential impact on this game, as he’s one of the best playmakers in this tournament. Reinhart can post up in front of the net, while McDavid can skate circles around the opposition.
I’m not only giving this one to Canada, but I’m expecting it to be a massive win.
Pick: Canada -1.5 (+114)
