4 Nations Face-Off: NHL’s new in-season tournament scores, players, format, and more

This is NBA All-Star weekend. This year the league implemented a new format, with the All-Stars drafted into three teams of eight players. They will face off with the winner of Friday night’s Rising Stars Challenge in a small, single-elimination tournament on Sunday night.

The NHL is also trying something new, which kicked off this week.

Instead of an All-Star Game, the NHL and the NHLPA are holding the 4 Nations Face-Off, which runs from February 12 through February 20. This is a round-robin tournament featuring four national teams — Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States — with NHL players filling out the rosters.

Here is what you need to know for the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off, how to watch, and the scores.

Why did the NHL implement the 4 Nations Face-Off?

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced the round-robin tournament at the 2024 All-Star Game. The move came following lengthy negotiations between the league and the NHLPA regarding player participation in international tournaments. NHL players competed between 1998 and 2014 in the Winter Olympics. Still, no deal was reached to allow players to play in either the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in 2018 or the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022.

As part of the agreement, players will be able to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, as well as the 2030 Winter Games.

“The international composition of National Hockey League rosters is unparalleled, and NHL Players take great pride in representing their countries,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement last year.

“We are pleased that, after intense collaborative efforts with the NHL Players’ Association and the International Ice Hockey Federation, we can formally announce that NHL Players will participate in both the 2026 and 2030 Olympic hockey tournaments.”

In addition, the league introduced the in-season 4 Nations Face-Off, to be held in place of the 2025 NHL All-Star Game. Between that tournament and next year’s winter games, the NHL All-Star Game is on a one-year hiatus. The 2026 NHL All-Star Game will be held at UBS Arena in New York, the home of the New York Islanders. Bettman said last year that the 2026 edition of the All-Star Game will be a “sendoff to the Olympics,” with players participating in the Winter Games leaving from the All-Star Game in New York to head to Italy.

Announcing the 4 Nations Face-Off, Bettman indicated that international competition is critically important to the league’s players.

“We know how important international competition is to our players. We know they love and want to represent the countries from which they’re from,” said Bettman last year. “We think this is a great stage for the best on the best, in the best sport.”

What teams are in the 4 Nations Face-Off?

The four teams selected for participation in the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off were all ranked in the top six by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the sport’s global governing body, at the time the tournament was announced.

However, there is some controversy associated with the selection of those four teams.

Canada, Finland, and the United States all ranked within the top four, with Canada topping the rankings, Finland sitting in second, and the United States fourth.

Sitting third? Russia, which was banned from competing in international tournaments by the IIHF for the nation’s invasion of Ukraine. Germany, ranked fifth, was also excluded from participating because the nation does not have enough NHL players to fill out a full national roster.

That saw Sweden, the sixth-ranked team, earn a spot.

What is the format for the tournament?

The 4 Nations Face-Off is a round-robin tournament, with each team playing the three other teams once.

The points system for the 4 Nations Face-Off includes three points for a win in regulation, two points for a win in either overtime or a shootout, one point for a loss in either overtime or a shootout, and zero points for a loss in regulation.

Following the end of round-robin play, the top two teams will meet in the Championship Game, scheduled for February 20.

During the round-robin portion of the tournament, overtime is a ten-minute, 3-on-3 sudden death period. If the score remains tied at the end of this ten-minute sudden death, the game proceeds to a shootout.

In the Championship Game, the overtime format is a 20-minute, full-strength sudden death. These will be successive 20-minute sudden-death periods, so if the game remains tied after the first, it will advance to the second and a third, and however many are needed to determine a winner.

Regarding tiebreakers, a tie-breaker between two teams will be decided by their head-to-head result.

Three-way ties will be determined by several steps, which you can read about here.

Where are the games being played?

During the round-robin portion of the tournament, games are being played at two sites: The Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada, and the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

Who are the players to know?

Canada

Canada is led by Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sam Reinhart, Brayden Point, and Cale Makar. Sidney Crosby was picked as the Team Captain, but may see limited ice time given the depth Canada brings to the table.

Still, he had a trio of assists in Canada’s first game against Sweden, the third coming on Mitch Marner’s winner in overtime.

The biggest question Canada may have comes between the pipes. Jordan Binnington got the start for Canada against Sweden but allowed three goals, including two in the third period which saw Sweden force overtime.

Finland

Finland has a number of two-way players that you should know about, including Aleksander Barkov — who won the Selke Trophy, given to the best defensive forward in the NHL, twice — Sebastian Aho, Mikko Rantanen, and Roope Hintz.

However, Finland is without standout defenseman Miro Heiskanen, who underwent knee surgery at the beginning of the month and is considered “month-to-month” for a return to action.

Sweden

The Swedes might have the best group of defenders in the tournament. Players such as Victor Hedman, Rasmus Dahlin, Gustav Forsling, Mattis Ekhold, and Jonas Brodin give Sweden tremendous talent and depth along the blue line.

If they get enough from their forwards — led by William Nylander and Filip Forberg — Sweden could be a problem. Forcing overtime with Canada the other night is an example of what they can do in this tournament.

United States

What might stand out for the United States is their depth, as this roster might be the strongest top-to-bottom in the tournament. Between the Tkachuk brothers (Brady and Matthew), Jack Eichel, Matt Boldy, Jake Guentzel, J.T. Miller, and more, the United States has talent up front. Along the blue line coach Jake Sullivan has a Norris Trophy winner in Adam Fox, Norris Trophy contenders in Charlie McAvoy, Zach Werenski, and Jaccob Slavin, and other tremendous options such as Brock Faber, Noah Hanifin, and Jake Sanderson.

This talent was on full display in the team’s 6-1 rout of Finland to open their tournament.

Game schedule and how to watch

Here are the scores for each game, and how to watch the upcoming contests.

Saturday night’s showdown between the United States and Canada at the Bell Centre in Montreal is sure to be an electric atmosphere.

Wednesday, February 12: Canada 4, Sweden 3 (OT)
Thursday, February 13: USA 6, Finland 1
Saturday, February 15: Finland vs. Sweden, 1:00 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+
Saturday, February 15: USA vs. Canada, 8:00 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+/Disney+
Monday, February 17: Canada vs. Finland, 1:00 p.m. ET, TNT
Monday, February 17: Sweden vs. USA, 8:00 p.m. ET, TNT

Thursday, February 20: Championship Game, 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+

What are the 4 Nations Face-Off Standings?

Here are the standings as of Friday, February 14: