For the first time since 2016, hockey fans get to watch international best-on-best competition — and it all starts tonight in Montreal.
The 4 Nations Face-Off kicks off on Wednesday night with Canada facing Sweden in the opening game of the tournament. It’s the first of three round-robin matchups for each country.
With hockey being deprived of the elite talents representing their home country, this marks the first game that Canadians fans are treated to Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon on the same side. The trio of established superstars highlight what is a loaded Canada roster that also includes Cale Makar, Mitch Marner, Brayden Point, Drew Doughty and Sam Reinhart.
Canada’s goaltending is arguably the weakest at the tournament, with Jordan Binnington as the starter. However, it’s an incredibly talented group at forward and defense that will give any opponent a handful.
Opposing the maple leaf tonight is Tre Kronor —Sweden. The Swedes boast arguably the deepest defensive core at the tournament, headlined by Victor Hedman, Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Ekholm. William Nylander, Elias Pettersson and Filip Forsberg are among the stars at the forward position, with the goaltending crease consisting of Linus Ullmark and Filip Gustavsson.
With only two nations advancing out of the round-robin stage, every game will be treated like a Game 7. The opener in Montreal should be the first of a number of thrilling matchups between countries at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The Sporting News is providing the updates and highlights from the Canada vs. Sweden group play game at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
4 NATIONS FACE-OFF HQ
Canada vs. Sweden live score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | F | |
| Canada | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| Sweden | 0 | – | – | – | – |
Canada vs. Sweden updates, highlights from 4 Nations Face-Off
(All times Eastern)
First period
8:40 p.m.: As the period hits the halfway point, Sweden has yet to record a shot on goal. It’s been a struggle for the team to gain possession in the offensive zone against Canada.
8:32 p.m.: McDavid is buzzing all around the offensive zone. The Oilers captain can dip and dangle through anyone with his exceptional hands and speed, and used those skills to create two great chances that were denied by Sweden.
Canada 1, Sweden 0
8:27 p.m.: GOAL! Just like that, Canada is on the board. The lethal top power play unit wastes little time converting, as Sidney Crosby spins a backhand pass to a wide open Nathan MacKinnon for the one-timer goal. Canada’s No. 1 power play unit came in with high expectations, and the group shows exactly why. 1-0 Canada just 56 seconds in.
OH SID THAT IS FILTHY 🤢
CANADA SCORES IN THE OPENING MINUTE pic.twitter.com/bU2ijPoSvA
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 13, 2025
that’s just a cheat code pic.twitter.com/VLIabjYBkW
— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) February 13, 2025
8:26 p.m.: Just 44 seconds into the game and Canada heads to the power play. William Nylander clips Nathan MacKinnon right in the mouth, and he’ll sit two minutes for high-sticking.
8:24 p.m.: The puck is down and the action from Montreal is underway.
Pregame
8:17 p.m.: Mario Lemieux is announced as a special guest ahead of puck drop, and the Bell Centre is losing its mind. The sold-out Montreal crowd is chanting, “Mario!” over and over again.
What a moment.
MASSIVE cheers, a standing ovation and chants of “Mario! Mario! Mario!” after Mario Lemieux is introduced at Bell Centre. pic.twitter.com/ugFRmbdOzR
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 13, 2025
8:05 p.m.: Canada comes out in the red uniforms with the maple leaf on the front, while Sweden dons the iconic yellow tops with the blue Tre Kronor sign along the chest.
7:50 p.m.: One change ahead of puck drop — it’s Filip Gustavsson in net for Sweden, not Ullmark. While the Senators goaltender was in the starter’s crease at practice earlier, it’s the Wild netminder who gets the starting nod vs. Canada.
7:31 p.m.: Here are the lines for both sides. Most notably, Connor McDavid centers Mitch Marner and Sam Reinhart, while Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby are alongside Mark Stone. Sweden puts together a solid top line of Adrian Kempe, Elias Pettersson and Filip Forsberg, but it’s that deep defensive group that is the team’s strength.
Lines for Sweden vs. Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. pic.twitter.com/eXo1naTWaD
— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) February 13, 2025
7:12 p.m.: Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid are far from youngsters in the league anymore, but this marks the first time they are representing Canada in best-on-best international competition. Both played for Team North America 2016, but get the chance to suit together for the maple leaf for the first time.
6:59 p.m.: The last time Canada and the USA met in true best-on-best hockey was for a gold medal. The two nations infamously battled in the gold-medal game of the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz led Canada to a 3-0 win.
6:45 p.m.: The goaltending matchup tonight is going to be between Canada’s Jordan Binnington and Sweden’s Linus Ullmark.
Binnington owns a 15-19-4 record, 2.89 GAA and .897 save percentage in 38 starts with the Blues this year. Ullmark is returning from a back injury that has limited him to 24 starts where he has a 12-9-2 record, 2.49 GAA and .915 SV%.
Canada 4 Nations Face-Off roster
| # | Player | Position | Team |
| 9 | Sam Bennett | F | Panthers |
| 71 | Anthony Cirelli | F | Lightning |
| 87 | Sidney Crosby | F | Penguins |
| 38 | Brandon Hagel | F | Lightning |
| 24 | Seth Jarvis | F | Hurricanes |
| 11 | Travis Konecny | F | Flyers |
| 29 | Nathan MacKinnon | F | Avalanche |
| 63 | Brad Marchand | F | Bruins |
| 16 | Mitch Marner | F | Maple Leafs |
| 97 | Connor McDavid | F | Oilers |
| 21 | Brayden Point | F | Lightning |
| 13 | Sam Reinhart | F | Panthers |
| 61 | Mark Stone | F | Golden Knights |
| 89 | Drew Doughty* | D | Kings |
| 8 | Cale Makar | D | Avalanche |
| 44 | Josh Morrissey | D | Jets |
| 55 | Colton Parayko | D | Blues |
| 6 | Travis Sanheim | D | Flyers |
| 27 | Shea Theodore | D | Golden Knights |
| 5 | Devon Toews | D | Avalanche |
| 50 | Jordan Binnington | G | Blues |
| 33 | Adin Hill | G | Golden Knights |
| 35 | Sam Montembeault | G | Canadiens |
*= injury replacement for Alex Pietrangelo, Golden Knights
Sweden 4 Nations Face-Off roster
| # | Player | Position | Team |
| 33 | Viktor Arvidsson | F | Predators |
| 63 | Jesper Bratt | D | Devils |
| 91 | Leo Carlsson | D | Ducks |
| 20 | Joel Eriksson Ek | F | Wild |
| 9 | Filip Forsberg | D | Predators |
| 10 | Adrian Kempe | F | Kings |
| 28 | Elias Lindholm | F | Bruins |
| 88 | William Nylander | F | Maple Leafs |
| 12 | Gustav Nyquist | F | Predators |
| 28 | Elias Pettersson | F | Canucks |
| 23 | Lucas Raymond | F | Red Wings |
| 67 | Rickard Rakell* | F | Penguins |
| 93 | Mika Zibanejad | F | Rangers |
| 4 | Rasmus Andersson | D | Flames |
| 25 | Jonas Brodin | D | Wild |
| 26 | Rasmus Dahlin | D | Sabres |
| 14 | Mattias Ekholm | D | Oilers |
| 42 | Gustav Forsling | D | Panthers |
| 77 | Victor Hedman | D | Lightning |
| 65 | Erik Karlsson | D | Penguins |
| 30 | Samuel Ersson** | G | Flyers |
| 32 | Filip Gustavsson | G | Wild |
| 35 | Linus Ullmark | G | Senators |
*= injury replacement for William Karlsson, Golden Knights
**= injury replacement for Jacob Markstrom, Devils
MORE 4 NATIONS FACE-OFF
What channel is Canada vs. Sweden?
- TV channel: TNT, truTV
- Live stream: Sling
Fans can watch Canada vs. Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off on TNT or truTV on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. ET.
For those without cable, Sling will have a live stream on its platform.
Canada vs. Sweden start time
- Date: Wednesday, Feb. 12
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
Puck drop for Canada vs. Sweden is at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.
Canada vs. Sweden radio station
Fans can listen to Canada vs. Sweden live on SiriusXM channel 91.
Get SiriusXM for free for your first month. Listen to live NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL games, plus NASCAR, college sports and more. Stay updated with all the news and get all the analysis on multiple sport-specific channels.
4 Nations Face-Off schedule, scores
Wednesday, Feb. 12
| Game | Time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|
| Canada vs. Sweden | 8 p.m. | TNT, truTV, Sling |
Thursday, Feb. 13
| Game | Time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|
| USA vs. Finland | 8 p.m. | ESPN, Fubo, ESPN+ |
Saturday, Feb. 15
| Game | Time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|
| Finland vs. Sweden | 1 p.m. | ABC, Fubo, ESPN+ |
| USA vs. Canada | 8 p.m. | ABC, Fubo, ESPN+ |
Monday, Feb. 17
| Game | Time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|
| Canada vs. Finland | 1 p.m. | TNT, truTV, Sling |
| Sweden vs. USA | 8 p.m. | TNT, truTV, Sling |
Thursday, Feb. 20
| Game | Time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|
| Championship | 8 p.m. | ESPN, Fubo, ESPN+ |
