NHL 4 Nations Face-Off: How to Stream the USA-Canada Championship Game with Sling

The 4 Nations Face-Off championship between the U.S. and Canada might be the most anticipated hockey game in years. Here’s a preview and how to stream with Sling.

With the round-robin games complete, it’s safe to say that the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off has been a smashing success for the NHL. And we do mean smashing: The USA-Canada game featured three fights within ten seconds of the opening puck drop. The reasons for the brawls are myriad but the bottom line is that the rivalry between these two teams has never felt so heated…and that’s a great thing for the sport (Canada’s coach Jon Cooper went as far as to say that “the game is in a better place” as a result of the clash).

Fortunately for hockey fans across the whole of North America, the championship game on Thursday, Feb. 20 will be a rematch. The USA cruised through the round-robin games, notching a 6-1 win over Finland before gritting out their victory against Canada to clinch a spot in the championship even before their final game against Sweden, a 2-1 loss. Meanwhile, Canada found itself in an unexpected hole, dropping their first game against Sweden 3-2 in overtime and losing to the USA outright. But a 5-3 win over Finland in the round-robin final gave them the edge over the Swedes, setting up a championship game that some are calling even bigger than the Stanley Cup Final.

Here’s a preview of the Championship game, which is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 20 at 8pm ET on ESPN. To watch ESPN with Sling, subscribe to Sling Orange or Orange + Blue.

4 Nations Face-Off Championship Game Preview

Tonight’s matchup between Team USA and Team Canada is locked as they battle for the 4 Nations trophy in Boston. And “battle” is precisely the right word. The U.S. punched its ticket into the final with a thrilling 3-1 win against Canada at Montreal’s Bell Centre on Saturday, a game that has everyone buzzing after one of the purest displays of hockey in the modern era. The game featured three fights in the first nine seconds and a combined 31 hits in just the first period.

Thursday is set to be electric as Canada seeks revenge, and the U.S. seeks to prove itself as the new powerhouse of international hockey. Questions have arisen following pool play, as the U.S. is facing quite a few unknowns. Charlie McAvoy (BOS) has been ruled out for the game due to an upper-body injury. This may prove to be a huge loss for the U.S., as McAvoy brought the physicality to pool play in Montreal. Both Matthew Tkachuk (FLA) and Auston Matthews ( TOR) missed the game against Sweden, and Brady Tkachuk (OTT) left after the first intermission with a lower-body injury. Thankfully, all three are expected tonight. Defenseman Quinn Hughes (VAN) will be traveling to Boston but can only play if the U.S. has fewer than six defensemen available.

If the U.S. can stay on track offensively and manage the puck, then they may be able to keep Canada on its heels. However, Canada will have Cale Makar (COL) back on the ice, and Jordan Binnington’s (STL) goaltending has proven to be clutch in big moments. The stage is set, and talk of this game and this rivalry has broken through the walls of hockey into the broader sports culture (and even politics). The eyes of sports fans and non-sports fans alike will be locked on the ice tonight. - Mari Dietz

Here’s our original preview of the 4 Nations Face-Off…

What countries are participating in the 4 Nations Face-Off?

As you might have suspected, the NHL’s home countries of the U.S. and Canada will be participating. The other two nations are Finland and Sweden – collectively, the last four countries to win Olympic medals with NHL players participating. In fact, the 4 Nations Face-Off is an early preview of next year’s Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, which is expected to include NHL players for the first time since 2014. Here are the current odds for each nation, according to DraftKings:

USA: +175

Canada: +175

Sweden: + 370

Finland: +650

What is the 4 Nations Face-Off format?

The tournament is a round-robin format, with each team playing three games against each other. The rules will be exactly the same as those in the NHL, as are the standings, with teams earning three points for a win in regulation; two points for an overtime or shootout win; one point for an overtime/ shootout loss; and no points for losses in regulation. After the round-robin games are played, the top two teams in points will face-off in the Championship game on Thurs., Feb. 20.

What is the 4 Nations Face-Off Schedule?

Here’s the full schedule of games; all ESPN and TNT games will be available with a subscription to Sling Orange. You can also watch TNT games with a subscription to Max:

Wednesday, Feb. 12
Canada 4, Sweden 3 (OT)

Thursday, Feb. 13
United States 6, Finland 1

Saturday, Feb. 15
Finland 4, Sweden 3 (OT)
United States 3, Canada 1

Monday, Feb. 17
Canada 5, Finland 3
Sweden 2, United States 1

Thursday, Feb. 20
Championship game: USA vs. Canada, 8 p.m. ET; ESPN

If you live in one of the eight markets with ABC included in Sling Blue, you can watch all games with Sling Orange + Blue. If not, you’ll need an ESPN+ subscription to watch the two Saturday games.

Where are the 4 Nations hockey games held?

The first four games will be played at the Bell Centre in Montreal, home of the Canadiens. After that, the final two games and Championship will be held on the home ice of the Bruins, the TD Garden in Boston.

What are the rosters for each team?

According to the NHL, “each team will consist of 13 forwards, seven defensemen and three goalies.” Here’s a look at the rosters (subject to change):

Team U.S.A. 4 Nations Face-Off Roster

Forwards
Matt Boldy, Minnesota Wild
Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets
Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights
Jake Guentzel, Tampa Bay Lightning
Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
Chris Kreider, New York Rangers
Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings
Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs*
J.T. Miller, Vancouver Canucks
Brock Nelson, New York Islanders
Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers
Vincent Trocheck, New York Rangers

Defensemen
Brock Faber, Minnesota Wild (2022 Olympian)
Adam Fox, New York Rangers
Noah Hanifin, Vegas Golden Knights
Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins
Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets

Goaltenders
Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars
Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins

* Team Captain

Team Canada 4 Nations Face-Off Roster

Forwards

Sam Bennett, Florida Panthers

Anthony Cirelli, Tampa Bay Lightning

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins (2010, 2014 Olympian)*

Brandon Hagel, Tampa Bay Lightning

Seth Jarvis, Carolina Hurricanes

Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers

Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche

Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins

Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs

Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning

Sam Reinhart, Florida Panthers

Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights

Defensemen

Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche

Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets

Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues

Travis Sanheim, Philadelphia Flyers

Shea Theodore, Vegas Golden Knights

Devon Toews, Colorado Avalanche

One more defenseman will be announced after Alex Pietrangelo withdrew.

Goaltenders

Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues

Adin Hill, Vegas Golden Knights

Sam Montembeault, Montreal Canadiens

* Team Captain

Team Sweden 4 Nations Face-Off Roster

Forwards

Viktor Arvidsson, Edmonton Oilers

Jesper Bratt, New Jersey Devils

Leo Carlsson, Anaheim Ducks

Joel Eriksson Ek, Minnesota Wild

Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators

William Karlsson, Vegas Golden Knights

Adrian Kempe, Los Angeles Kings

Elias Lindholm, Boston Bruins

Gustav Nyquist, Nashville Predators (2014 Olympian)

William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs

Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks

Lucas Raymond, Detroit Red Wings

Mika Zibanejad New York Rangers

Defensemen

Rasmus Andersson, Calgary Flames

Jonas Brodin, Minnesota Wild

Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabers (2018 Olympian)

Mattias Ekholm, Edmonton Oilers

Gustav Forsling, Florida Panthers

Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning*

Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh Penguins (2014 Olympian)

Goaltenders

Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota Wild

Jacob Markström, New Jersey Devils

Linus Ullmark, Ottawa Senators

* Team Captain

Team Finland 4 Nations Face-Off Roster

Forwards

Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes

Joel Armia, Montreal Canadiens

Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers (2014 Olympian)*

Mikael Granlund, San Jose Sharks (2014 Olympian)

Erik Haula, New Jersey Devils

Roope Hintz, Carolina Hurricanes

Kaapo Kakko, New York Rangers

Patrik Laine, Montreal Canadiens

Artturi Lehkonen, Colorado Avalanche

Anton Lundell, Florida Panthers

Eetu Luostarinen, Florida Panthers

Mikko Rantanen, Carolina Hurricanes

Teuvo Teräväinen, Chicago Blackhawks

Defensemen

Jani Hakanpää, Toronto Maple Leafs

Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars (2018 Olympian)

Esa Lindell, Dallas Stars

Niko Mikkola, Florida Panthers

Olli Määttä, Utah Hockey Club (2014 Olympian)

Rasmus Ristolainen, Philadelphia Flyers

Juuso Välimäki, Utah Hockey Club

Goaltenders

Kevin Lankinen, Vancouver Canucks

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Buffalo Sabres

Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators

* Team Captain

When does the NHL return from break?

The NHL break begins on Monday, Feb. 10. Following the 4 Nations Championship on Thurs., Feb. 20, the NHL season resumes with a loaded slate of games on Sat., Feb. 22.