What we learned in Canada’s thrilling win over Sweden in 4 Nations Face-Off opener

The opening game of the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off was quite a bit closer than the Canadian fans in Montreal might have liked, but their side earned a victory over Sweden, 4-3 in overtime.

A victorious Canada earned two points for its OT win, while Sweden got one. Sweden’s next matchup is against Finland on Saturday (1 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+), and Canada will next play Saturday against the United States (8 p.m., ABC/ESPN+/Disney+).

But before closing the books on this game, let’s grade both teams, identify our biggest takeaways, and look ahead to the key players to watch and biggest questions for each team’s next game.

Grading the teams

Canada: B

It’s hard to give Canada anything less than a ‘B’ grade here, even if they might have earned something lower. Squandering a 2-0 first-period lead and a 3-1 third-period lead to wind up in overtime meant Canada couldn’t earn a three-point regulation win over Sweden. But they did earn two points for an overtime win thanks to Mitch Marner‘s efforts at 6:06 of a frantic extra session — cashing in on Sidney Crosby‘s third primary assist of the game.

So it’s a ‘B’ on a curve. They won the game. They did so playing five defensemen for over two periods, thanks to an injury to Shea Theodore. At times they looked like an unstoppable hockey machine that could score at will and limit an opponent’s chances to nil. At other times, they looked like a group of star players who had limited practice time together and occasionally tried to do too much on their own.

But victory was theirs, heading into Saturday night’s showdown with the U.S. The sweetest part: that Crosby, whose status for the tournament was uncertain after sitting out the Pittsburgh Penguins‘ past two games, was the best player on the ice. (With Mario Lemieux in the house watching, no less.) — Greg Wyshynski

Sweden: B-

Was the takeaway from Sweden’s first game the fact it fell behind by two goals before the first period ended? Or is it more about the fact that it overcame a two-goal deficit to send the game to overtime — and nearly won it on a few chances?

The first-period deficit was somewhat rectified by a far more cohesive second period that saw Sweden cut the lead to 2-1. But that’s when Sweden relied on its collective. There was Rasmus Dahlin clearing the puck out of the crease. Victor Hedman was among those actively using their sticks in the passing lane, while others such as Viktor Arvidsson were delivering checks. Joel Eriksson Ek was nearly the hero, scoring the tying goal while drawing Sweden’s first penalty.

It was the sort of overall performance that reinforces why Sweden could be a problem in this tournament. But falling behind early also spoke to how Sweden’s opening game could have been different if those problems could have been avoided. — Ryan S. Clark

What we learned

Canada’s PP1 is the scariest thing in hockey

While the 4 Nations Face-Off replaced the NHL All-Star Game this season, Canada’s top power-play unit is a suitable stand-in for superstars making magic together.

Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Sam Reinhart … that’s like a human cheat code. They were as unstoppable as advertised in the first minute of the tournament, after William Nylander took a high-sticking penalty at 44 seconds. Makar kept the puck at the blue line, leading to McDavid and Crosby briefly playing catch near the boards. Crosby sent a blistering backhand pass through the crease to an open MacKinnon who buried his chance for the 1-0 lead.

When asked how he’d stop that quintet, Brad Marchand joked: “I would probably put three goalies in the net and just let them try to do the job.” Even that might not have prevented the goal. — Wyshynski

What if Sweden didn’t have a slow start?

Instead of losing in overtime, perhaps Sweden is the one walking away winning its opening game. Either way, it’s one of the questions that the Tre kronor will be left ruminating about entering its Saturday showdown against Finland.

But think back to how this game started: It’s one thing to take a penalty within the first minute. But surrendering a goal within the first 20 seconds of the power play — then giving up a second goal before you even record your first shot? And not getting off your first shot until 4:45 remained in the first period? This was far from the start Sweden sought. In fact, Canada had a 60% shot share in the first period, reinforcing how much it controlled possession.

Falling into that two-goal deficit also underscored why Sweden needed to rely on its collective, which it did. Sweden had three goal scorers, while Filip Gustavsson kept extending the game until Marner’s overtime winner. But there were still challenges — such as how Sweden had a hard time consistently generating high-danger scoring chances, or how it didn’t draw a penalty until the third period.

Sweden showed it can come back after falling behind. But how will that work if it falls into another early hole Saturday against Finland? Can it find a breakthrough against Juuse Saros? And what would that look like against the United States on Monday knowing Sweden would be trying to find an opening against reigning Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck? — Clark

Is there a Canadian goalie controversy?

Canada coach Jon Cooper anointed St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington as his opening game starter over Adin Hill (Vegas) and Sam Montembeault (Montreal), and watched him give up three goals on 23 shots with varying degrees of fault.

Sweden’s first goal wasn’t completely on Binnington, as Jonas Brodin scored on a moving screen by Rickard Rakell. Adrian Kempe‘s goal was a manageable shot from the slot. Eriksson Ek’s goal was the product of a great Jesper Bratt pass, but Binnington did him a favor by swimming in his crease. Binnington’s best period was overtime, with a couple of game-saving stops before Marner’s goal.

“This kid has played in some huge moments, some big games, he’s a competitor,” Cooper said when he named Binnington the starter. “These other guys will be ready to go if anything happens.”

So did enough happen against Sweden for Cooper to give the crease to Hill — a Stanley Cup winner for the Golden Knights — or Montembeault on Saturday night against Team USA? That’s a mystery. What’s clear is that concerns about goaltending being the formidable Team Canada’s Achilles’ heel have not been assuaged. — Wyshynski

Sweden’s third goal could unlock something

Getting a tying goal was clearly crucial. But the way Lucas Raymond and Bratt combined to set up Eriksson Ek’s goal in the third period was unlike any other goal that Sweden scored to that point.

Canada’s defensive structure was predicated on forcing Sweden into taking longer-distance shots as a way to make it easier for Binnington to track the puck. And while Sweden scored two goals from distance thanks to Brodin and Kempe, it struggled to find high-danger scoring chances at the net front that Canada created at various points throughout the game.

Eriksson Ek won the faceoff in Canada’s zone and then had the wherewithal to get to the net front that allowed him a chance to either screen Binnington or have what would be one of the easier scoring chances of the game. He found the latter and it gave Sweden a path toward finding more of those opportunities. This tactic could prove useful over the next several days. — Clark

Players to watch

The most talented player in the world had a secondary assist on MacKinnon’s power-play goal, but nothing else to speak of against Sweden. He had one shot on goal and didn’t generate any in overtime, where MacKinnon (four shots) seemed to do what McDavid usually does.

Since entering the NHL, McDavid is tied with Crosby for the third-most 3-on-3 overtime goals during that span. Canada obviously won’t mind if McDavid needed a game to get his bearings before unleashing the fury on Team USA. Maybe he was like the rest of us and was too mesmerized by a 37-year-old Crosby dominating the game to focus on himself. — Wyshynski

There’s an argument to be had for Eriksson Ek considering he scored the tying goal and drew Sweden’s lone penalty. But what Gustavsson did in regulation allowed Sweden to survive giving up high-danger scoring chances at a rate of 2-to-1, according to Natural Stat Trick.

But where it became even more evident was how the Minnesota Wild goaltender repeatedly stopped shots from some of the game’s most dangerous players — such as MacKinnon on multiple occasions in overtime — before Marner’s winning goal. — Clark

Big questions for the next game

What will Canada do without Shea Theodore?

Becoming well-versed in 4 Nations injury replacement policy was the last thing Canadian fans wanted to do during the tournament opener. But now they know there’s no reinforcements other than who’s already on the roster with Theodore out for the rest of the event, according to Cooper.

The Vegas Golden Knights defender injured his hand while bracing himself on a hit by Kempe. He left during the second period and did not return for the third. Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim is the only blue-line reserve for Team Canada.

Tournament rules state that a team has to fall below 18 healthy skaters to bring in one not currently on the roster as a replacement. So it’ll be Sanheim on Saturday night vs. Team USA. And if they lose another defenseman … well, you snubbed Canadians might want to keep the phone near you on the beach. — Wyshynski

Which version of Sweden will show up against Finland?

Will we see the version of Sweden that fell into an early deficit and had to slowly piece its way back into tying the score? Or the version that found ways to control possession and score goals despite playing against a defensive structure that was designed to force shots from distance?

Take away Mark Stone‘s goal, and the way Sweden performed in that middle period provides insight into why this is an intriguing team. Relying on its two-way ability to support Gustavsson — with the premise it could lead to goals — played into the strategy on how Sweden could win games.

Overcoming a two-goal deficit and forcing overtime against what’s considered to be the tournament favorite further proves that Sweden is dangerous. But that’s only if Sweden can find a way to replicate what it did from the second period on against two teams in Finland and the U.S. who have two of the premier goalies in the world. — Clark