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[Boston Bruins]

4 Nations Face-off Tournament PRIMER

Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images

The NHL has brought us a tournament with four teams, and it’s also in Boston! We might as well pay attention!

Just the Facts​

• What is it?: A round robin tournament created by the NHL to temporarily replace the NHL All-Star game.
• Where is it being played?: The Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, and TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts
• Who is playing?: Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States of America
• Where to Watch it: See Schedule down the page. It alternates between ESPN and Turner networks depending on the gameday.
• What is it being played for?: If you’re looking for a philosophy reason, the Four Nations Faceoff is being played as part of a broader commitment to the players and fans on behalf of the NHL to enter the wider hockey-sphere without dragging out the stupid plastic trophy nobody cared about last time, and hopefully not a bone thrown to their players in case the Milan Winter Olympics fails to meet their nebulous standard of quality. As for a physical thing to be played for? No idea. Let’s call it bragging rights.

Bruins at this Tournament​

• Brad Marchand is set to be part of Canada’s forward corps!
• Elias Lindholm is projected to be Sweden’s 4th line center, though personally I’d have him as Carlsson’s wing.
• Jeremy Swayman is likely going to be given the best seat in the house to watch Connor Hellebucyk, but hey, he might get to play Finland!

Tournament Preview​

Canada - Battle for a Bleeding Soul​

• Strengths: Overwhelming Skating Talent Advantage. Only the USA compares.
• Weaknesses: The gulf in performance between their skaters and their goaltenders is big enough to run a train station in.

You’d think that Canada, the premiere country when it comes to Ice Hockey, would be walking into this tournament with a level of confidence and swagger that rivals the average American ego, but instead it feels like Canada sort of needs this win. Even if only to start believing in their country’s program again.

The obvious selling point for Team Canada as champion is the mere fact that Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby, at long last, finally get to wear the Red Maple Leaf together; the premiere talent of the sport of the 2000’s and the premiere talent of the modern day, who have been denied the chance to join forces at the international level by the treachery of their own CBA finally getting to right that wrong. Complimenting that one-two punch of talent is the absolute horde of forward talent they happen to bring along with them; that one two punch can be augmented by any combination of Nathan MacKinnon, Sam Reinhart, Mitch Marner, Mark Stone, Brad Marchand, Seth Jarvis, Travis Konecny, and Brandon Hagel as potential linemates.

Their Defense? Pretty solid too! I don’t love Parayko and Shea Theodore necessarily, but the rest seem particularly geared towards advancing the puck as quickly and efficiently as humanly possible. Canada’s overwhelming advantage in this tournament will be this embarrassment of riches in the five players moving around on the ice, and the expectation that the talent gap at both forward and defense in comparison to the rest of the tournament is good enough to get them into the finals.

Because as good as their skating corps is, and it is a world class skating corps...their goaltenders are a clear weak link.

Montembeault, Binnington, and Hill have all been hovering around .900 in SV% all year, and have been enormously solvable in just about every game they’ve been part of. Even worse, Washington’s Logan Thompson was absolutely willing and available as a choice for Team Canada, and for whatever reason...they just decided they didn’t need him because their general managers didn’t like him? Even if he’s head and shoulders better than the three goalies they picked??

It’s such a bizarre decision that highlights a problem Team Canada has been inflicting on their fans for years at this point; a fundamental arrogance in the sheer quality of their own talent that allows them to believe that their inherent Canadian hockey-ness will allow them to overcome the fact that they keep making weird decisions with their hockey club.

I mean, with the roster they have, it should be far more enough to get them to the championship, but man it feels weird to see the expected best country in the world keep tying a hand behind their backs for reasons of pride.

Prediction:​

Canada shows up to every ice hockey tournament the favorite until proven otherwise, and frankly the squad as it stands is more than good enough to justify that. By all accounts, this should be a team playing until the very end based on it’s forward corps alone.

But if it for some reason doesn’t? Rev up those referendums!

Finland - Doing more, with less​

In the time it took me to write this, another player got hurt. Finland’s cursed.

• Strengths: Center depth, Team Chemistry, Penalty Killers, Goaltending talent, System Play
• Weaknesses: Injury bug actively conspiring against them

Suomi has the smallest pool of players to work with in this tournament, and in some cases that’s a good thing; with such a limited stock of players, you can’t really overthink your decisions, and Finland didn’t see a reason to.

Their center depth is perfect for the kind of game Finland usually likes playing; a ferocious group of 2-way players that compliment the wingers they’ve brought to the dance. Making it even better is that a number of players come to the tournament with built-in chemistry; Lehkonen and Rantanen played on the same line in Colorado, Granlund and Hintz play together in Dallas (this also would’ve applied to Miro Heiskanen had he been able to play), Valikmaki and Maata play together in Utah, Loustarinen and Lundell play together in Florida, and many of them have played together at IIHF tournaments, either World Juniors or World Championships, in some form or another over the last decade. If there is an x-factor for the Finns, it is that chemistry of knowing their team on a level perhaps only matched by the Swedes.

Unfortunately, where having a small talent pool can hurt you is that if there are holes in your roster, it’s noticeable, and if the injury bug takes hold, it can leave hellacious wounds. Injury has swept through the Finnish roster like a plague, and it’s defense, which was already one of the weaker groups, has been hit really hard by it; leaving them a total of two defenseman that have posted positive possession metrics over the last 50 or so games in the absence of Miro Heiskanen: Niko Mikkola and Esa Lindell. The rest are...not that.

It’s gotten to the point that their opening practice already had them down a couple of players. From the outset, it’s looking pretty bleak.

Finland’s first practice for 4 Nations only has 11 skaters and two goalies on the ice. pic.twitter.com/85Jjl9wzn6

— Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) February 10, 2025

If this can be mitigated, it must be mitigated by goaltending.

Finland thankfully is a nation that prides itself on just such a position, and the players they’ve brought are enormously talented...but on enormously bad teams. On one level, maybe all three of their goalies being on teams struggling to stay relevant has uniquely prepared them to put up with the particular issues that their defense may inflict upon them from their work in this NHL season. If not, however...it’ll just be another rock bringing them to the bottom if they can’t work hard enough to overcome it.

Prediction​

As much as I appreciate the Finnish system for what it is and the chemistry the team comes pre-loaded with, the reality Leijonat faces is that they are coming into this tournament with a lot of holes that the other teams just don’t have right now through no fault of their own; the injury bug showed up as a B-movie monster on this poor team, and in a tournament packed with this much talent?

This could be a very long two weeks for Finland.

Sweden - Sams’ Klubb​

• Strengths: Skating depth, Goaltending, Defense corps might be the best of any team in the tournament
• Weaknesses: Couldn’t bring Hampus Lindholm, Left William Eklund at home for...some reason, Erik Karlsson will eventually have to spend time in his own end, both backups are nursing some lingering condition

Tre Kronor gave Sweden’s World Championships coach Sam Hallam complete control over the roster they would be bringing to the 4 Nations Faceoff, and from what it looks like, he definitely put together a world class list of Swedes to play for him...with a couple of caveats.

Versatility remains the major strength of the Swedes; their defense corps is as deep as it’s ever been and capable of doing a little bit of everything; their veteran corps of forwards, most of whom are either big-time goalscorers or defensive stalwarts, has been augmented by a spry young group of impressive youngsters who compliment them beautifully; something that Sweden’s historically strong systems at the IIHF levels tend to appreciate. Hell, even if you’re concerned about the down years of their centers, you can probably expect them to pick things up majorly thanks to playing with winger talent like William Nylander, Lucas Raymond, or Filip Forsberg.

Hampus Lindholm being out means they’re missing one of the better defenders available to them, Jacob Markstrom’s out entirely and Ullmark only recently came back from an injury, so it seems like Tre Kronor is going to be tied at the hip to Minnesota Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson. Gustavsson is absolutely worthy of the job, he’s just not going to be one of the heads on a goaltending hydra like maybe he was expected to be when the tournament rosters were first announced.

For me, the X-Factor for the Swedes is Centers: Pettersson and Zibanejad are coming out of uniquely screwed up situations from their NHL teams, and are in particular need of this summer vacation of a tournament more than anybody. If they can overcome their struggles and once again be the play-dictating, dynamic centers of their past, then Sweden will be an enormously difficult beat even for the favorites in this tournament.

Prediction​

Canada and the USA are the clear favorites, but if there’s a team that could spoil either one of them, you’re probably looking at it. Sweden is both deep, mostly healthy, and their issues are at best nitpicks. A lot of this will be on Sam Hallam to adjust to the NHL ruleset that the 4 Nations will be held under, but I get the distinct feeling Sweden is going to make tomorrow’s opening game a major point of pride for themselves.

USA - Heel Turn​

• Strengths: Overwhelming Scoring Talent, Dynamic Defensive depth, Goaltending.
• Weaknesses: Coaching could put a restrictor plate on just how good they actually are

I understand that due to the mess that is the modern internet, there’s a very very slim chance an NHL player is ever going to read my writing, but if a member of Team USA happens to fall onto this platform and onto this blog, I would like to just give you some advance warning about your reception when you play in Montreal; It isn’t you, man.

Thanks to some what I am going to call outside circumstances beyond the control of the NHL; Team USA better be ready for some of the iciest responses they have ever gotten in international play. While I absolutely get why, the US will likely be able overcome it quickly, as this might be one of the most talented teams the United States of America has ever put out onto a sheet of ice. The Forward corps is just killer shooter and killer playmaker after killer shooter and killer playmaker, they are fast, they are goalscorers, they’ve even got some punk-assery with the Tkachuks as insurance for such a thing if the need arises. Sure, Brock Nelson maybe isn’t the best choice over Jason Robertson or Cole Caufield, but for what he’ll be playing for, he’s fine.

It still would’ve been nice to have Robertson.

Losing Quinn Hughes so close to the tournament was a major blow to the American Blueline, but Jake Sanderson has been having an otherwise strong year in Ottawa, so I can at least still say that Team USA’s defense is still very, very formidable; both responsible in their own end and able to leave their own end quickly and easily; in spite of whatever you may feel about McAvoy in a Bruins uniform right now. But of course, the centerpiece jewel in the USA’s crown is their goaltending; Connor Hellebuyck, who has been absolutely lights out in Winnipeg, and will almost certainly play most of this tournament unless Finland or Sweden have collapsed in on themselves and Oettinger/Swayman can find time to play.

So with a roster this good, this complete, and with the all-important position of goaltender being an active strength for the Americans, is there any crack in their armor? Is there anything that might hold them up?

For me, the only thing I can really come back to that could feasibly hold Team USA back is...maybe coaching?

Is some of this some leftover trauma from the USA’s WCoH back in 2016 being such an utter disaster? Sure! Am I still mad at David Quinn for blowing the United States’ chances at Gold against Slovakia at the 2022 Winter Olympics? A little bit! Are either of those men the head coach? No. But they do have input! As such, I do not trust them!

Otherwise, Team USA will be much like a mirror of Team Canada; so laden down with talent that it may not matter if they have any issues.

Prediction:​

Right across from Team Canada in the finals. They’re just too good not to.

---

Schedule​

Wednesday, February 12th​

1. Canada vs. Sweden - 8pm EST - MAX, TruTV, TNT, SportsNet, TVAS

Thursday, February 13th​

1. USA vs. Finland - 8pm EST - ESPN, ESPN+, SportsNet, TVAS

Saturday, February 15th​

1. Finland vs. Sweden, 1 p.m EST - ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS
2. United States vs. Canada, 8 pm EST - ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS

Monday, February 17th​

1. Canada vs. Finland, 1 p.m. ET - MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS
2. Sweden vs. United States, 8 p.m. ET - MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS

Thursday, Feb. 20​

1. Championship Game, 8 p.m. ET - ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS

---

We at SCoC say good luck to all Bruins who are participating in this tournament, and may the best country win!

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/2025/2/11/24357484/4-nations-face-off-tournament-primer

 

[Boston Bruins]

Morning Skate: Break

Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images

For most people, that is.

Welcome to a new week, folks!

If you’re somehow a mixed up “half Bruins, half Philadelphia Eagles” fan, you should be having yourself a bright, sunny, probably-hungover morning.

I’m not sure how many of you exist, but I’m sure there are a few. It was a decently entertaining Super Bowl last night, even if it wasn’t particularly close.

In hockey news, the NHL had just a two-game slate yesterday, with the Four Nations break officially underway.

The Bruins limped into the break with two losses in a row, with Saturday’s home loss to Vegas being the “kick in the teeth” kind of loss the B’s have produced too often this season.

The B’s enter this winter break outside of playoff position, a point behind the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild card spot.

It’s worth pointing out that they’re also just six points outside of third in the Atlantic, so it’s not like this is a lost cause.

Still, with games not resuming until Feb. 22, there isn’t much time left for this group to decide if it’s time to sell; at this point, it seems like it’d be unwise to take any different approach.

If you’re interested in the Four Nations tournament, that will begin on Wednesday with Canada and Sweden facing off in Montreal; the next night, USA and Finland will meet at the same venue.

TD Garden won’t see any action until a week from today, when it will host 1 PM and 8 PM games on the Presidents’ Day holiday.

After all the talk about “no, it really does matter,” I’m curious to see the tempo of these games.

I’d guess they might start a bit slowly, but things should pick up once the competitive juices start flowing.

We’ll see!

What’s on tap for today?

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...-four-nations-break-bruins-news-loss-to-vegas

 

[Boston Bruins]

Public Skate: Four Nations Face-Off, Nights 1 & 2

Photo by Derek Leung/Getty Images Discuss, internationally. Welcome to international hockey, folks! I'm not sure how many of you plan to tune in for these Four Nations Face-Off games, but I figured we'd throw a Public Skate up here to give you a place to chat. The games begin tonight (Feb. 12) in Montreal, with Brad Marchand and Canada facing Elias Lindholm and Sweden. Tomorrow (Feb. 13) night, it'll be the United States vs. Finals, also up in Montreal. The Canada-Sweden ...

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...nations-tournament-nights-1-2-tournament-talk

 

[Boston Bruins]

Women’s Recap: Fleet silence the Sirens, Frankel locks down New York 4-0.

PWHL

A Terrier goalie was unable to match a Husky goalie midweek in February as is tradition, and a former Crimson returns.

Both teams were feeling the lag from their star players completing their national team duties early. Each team was missing a former BC star, New York had Alex Carpenter out and Boston was missing Hannah Bilka. Jillian Dempsey the personification of Boston women’s hockey got the nod to filial sin for Bilka, while she was held scoreless she created a few dangerous opportunities in a first period that saw both goalies stand tall against pressure. New York had the higher volume of high danger chances but AerinFrankel was resolute. It wasn't until the death of the first that Boston’s Hilary Knight ripped a shot through traffic off of a face-off, which Susanna Tapani deflected in to give the Fleet the lead and eventually the win.

The second saw no scoring and a few penalties. This periods should have had more lamps lit but the goalies were showing off.

Early in the third Eagles fans finally got something to cheer about this week as Megan Keller snuck a shoot in to give eBoston a two goal lead and really start muting the Sirens out. The middle of the frame saw a puck bounce around the crease after Schroeder made a few great saves but Jamie-Lee Rattray was there to direct the puck in. There was a quick review for kicking but the goal stood. A few minutes later Alina Mueller led a great breakout pass which ended up setting up Shay Maloney’s third goal of the season to put the game on ice.

Highlights:

Game Notes​

• Special teams are the Jekyll and Hyde for Boston. The PK was once again stout led by stellar goaltending. But the PP continues to struggle going 0/2 bringing the streak to 0/16 in the last 6 games.
• Frankel got the first start for her first shutout of the season. It's been a rough go for her despite this being her 7th win oo the year as she is now well over 1000 saves for her career.
• This was the first regulation win for Boston on the road all year. This also moves them into a tie with New York for 4th place with a game in hand.
• This was the first of a four game stretch in six days, the only team in the league to have a stretch like this all season. They will have two more road games against this NY team in that stretch. The next game will be a Valentines Day date in Toronto.

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...ce-the-sirens-frankel-locks-down-new-york-4-0

 

[Boston Bruins]

Recap: Bruins drop, 4-3, to rallying Golden Knights

Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images

The team’s woes continue in disappointing loss.

The Boston Bruins fell 4-3 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday afternoon at the TD Garden as Tomas Hertl broke a tie with just over a minute left in the third period.

Hertl scored with 1 second remaining on Vegas’ power play to ultimately win the game on three unanswered goals. The game-winner came as the Bruins failed to complete their penalty kill after gaining some energy moments before with a Golden Knights’ goal called back due to goaltender interference.

“We have to kill that one off, that’s a huge momentum boost for us there,” Interim head coach Joe Sacco said. “When they disallow the goal, we have to do the job and kill it off. We should have gotten it done and we didn’t.”

The ruling was the second goal of the game called back, one in each favor of each team.

The Bruins started the game off strong, getting up 2-0 midway through the first period on tallies from Brad Marchand and Nikita Zadorov. But then Mark Stone scored the first power-play goal of the night to close the gap before the period ended.

Then the game shifted to Vegas’ favor as the Golden Knights’ offense ramped up in the second period. Still. Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak continued to press and eventually connected as Geekie’s goal cushioned the Bruins’ lead.

Zach Whitecloud found the back of the net late in the second period as the puck hovered on the goal line with 34 seconds remaining in the middle frame.

The Golden Knights held the Bruins to only eight shots through a crucial 30 minutes of play from the second period into the third period.

Pavel Dorofeyev, who had his fair share of chances throughout the contest, notched the tying goal early in the third off a feed from Shea Theodore.

Zadorov had what would have been the Bruins’ go-ahead goal called back due to goaltender interference by Marchand.

Then the Bruins got in some penalty trouble with about four minutes to go in the third. Vegas had a power-play goal called back for goaltender interference from Stone, but Hertl capitalized on the man-advantage moments later with 1:10 remaining in the third to hand the Bruins the loss.

“They pushed, we sat back a little bit,” Marchand said. “We knew that they would be better in the second and third, and they were. We got caught sitting back a little bit, and a team like that will make you pay.”

Here are the highlights:

First period:

Nikita Zadorov fired a shot from left point. The rebound found Brad Marchand at the back door where he had a wide-open net on Ilya Samsonov at 3:17 of the first period. 1-0 Bruins.

Zadorov extended the lead with a one-timer past Samsonov still on the ice after Elias Lindholm, Charlie Coyle and Marchand swarmed him with pressure. 2-0 Bruins.

Shea Theodore sent a wrist shot toward net from the blue line which out front, Mark Stone tipped past Jeremy Swayman at 15:09 of the first period on the power play. 2-1 game.

Second period:

Samsonov mishandled the puck behind the goal like for David Pastrnak to pick it up and backhand a pass out front which Morgan Geekie found to put a wrist shot past Samsonov at 15:07 of the second period. 3-1 Bruins.

Noah Hanifin sent a pass to the point to Zach Whitecloud who threw a one-timer at Swayman who thought he had the puck covered, but it trickled across the goal line at 19:26 of the second period. 3-2 game.

Third period:

Theodore found Pavel Dorofeyev wide open at the far post for a quick wrist shot past Swayman at 4:54 of the third period. 3-3 tie game.

Jack Eichel sent a pass to Tomas Hertl in the slot where he adjusted before throwing a wrist shot past Swayman’s glove at 18:50 of the third period with one second left on the power play. Final score: 4-3 Golden Knights.

Hertl Power pic.twitter.com/aBwByKMtFo

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) February 8, 2025​

Game notes​

• For the second game in a row, the Bruins dropped the ball and allowed third-period goals to dig themselves into a hole that they couldn’t climb out of. It’s a tough loss to swallow, as heading into this break, the Bruins remain out of a playoff spot.
• The Bruins went about 30 minutes between the start of the second period and halfway through the third period where they only had about eight shots on net. The Golden Knights held them to a mere two shots in almost 10 minutes of play in the third period as Vegas rallied.
• Marchand was asked postgame what he thought the team’s mindset needs to be when they return with 25 games left in the season: “We have to come back with the right mindset,” Marchand said. “A few days before the first game, we have to make sure we’re getting back, working hard, get back in shape. Then it’s do-or-die hockey the rest of the year here.”
• Marchand concurred with Sacco’s sentiment after the game how they should have killed off that third-period penalty after the “no-goal” ruling. “They’re one of the top power plays in the league, they don’t need much,” Marchand said. “It’s disappointing. When we got that call and then we can’t finish it off.”
• Pastrnak had five shots on net, the most for a Bruin.
• The B’s fourth line TOI clocked in at 7:35 (Johnny Beecher), 7:09 (Mark Kastelic) and 6:33 (Cole Koepke).
• The Bruins won’t practice until Feb. 18 as the 4 Nations Faceoff gets underway.
• The Bruins will play next on Feb. 22 when they host the Anaheim Ducks at 7 p.m.

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...ins-drop-4-3-to-rallying-vegas-golden-knights

 

[Boston Bruins]

Public Skate: Bruins vs. Golden Knights

Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Matinee hockey!

Good afternoon!

The Boston Bruins are back in action for one more game before the two-week break!

On tap today, they’ll face the Vegas Golden Knights who broke a four-game losing streak on Thursday.

The Bruins will look to close out this stretch on a high note,

Discuss!

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...vs-vegas-golden-knights-gamethread-discussion

 

[Boston Bruins]

Public Skate: Four Nations Saturday Showdown

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

A big day of action.

Welcome to Saturday, folks! Hopefully you’ve got a good weekend on tap.

The Four Nations Face-Off continues in Montreal today, with a two-game slate:

• Sweden vs. Finland at 1 PM
• USA vs. Canada at 8 PM

Both games will be at the Bell Centre in Montreal, with the action shifting to TD Garden here in Boston on Monday.

Both of today’s games will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN+ in the United States.

If you’re local to Boston, the Four Nations Fan Village will open on City Hall Plaza starting Saturday at 11 AM.

It’ll be open from 11 AM through 6 PM, Saturday through Monday.

The Fan Village is free, and promises “fun interactions, including autograph sessions featuring NHL alumni, family-friendly hockey interactives, giveaways, food, and music.”

Other than that, enjoy a nice day of international hockey!

Discuss.

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/2025/2/15/24366176/public-skate-four-nations-saturday-showdown

 

[Boston Bruins]

Women’s Recap: Toronto reigns supreme, Boston falls 3-1.

Heather Pollock for PWHL

Back to the same old.

The early game saw Toronto dictate play a bit and earned a power play was Shay Maloney had a pretty obvious infraction in front of her own net. This would lead to a goal called on the ice as the penalty expired. A whistle was blown and the puck appeared to stop on the line before it was tapped in well after the whistle, but the goal was upheld upon review. The Fleet would have a late power play opportunity of their own but the struggles continued on the skater advantage.

Boston came out with a purpose win the second and were rewarded when Megan Keller sniped her fifth goal of the season to even the scoreline. In the final minute of play Boston;s defense was unable to clear the puck as Emma Woods buried a puck after being left alone in front of the net. The Sceptres would have a final dangerous chance as the horn sounded for the second intermission.

The third saw little urgency from the Fleet despite still being a goal down. Boston would only manage 3 shots in the entire period, while Toronto tallied 10. All the scoring chance in the period were faced by Aerin Frankel who did her best but another unnecessary penalty by Sophie Shirley, her second of the period saw Toronto add another insurance goal as Boston was unable to compete.

Highlights:

Game Notes​

• The power play is till listless as they move to 0/17 in the last 7 games. The penalty kill as unable to hold Toronto off the board as the Sceptres used the final penalty of the game to put it away.
• Frankel again was a standout for Boston but got little support. With the continued high volume of games we should expect to see either Emma Soderberg or a possible debut for Klara Peslarova.
• The loss hurst Boston in the standings as they were right behind Toronto for third but will now need to regroup.
• This was the second of a four game stretch in six days. Boston will return home finally to host Minnesota.

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...recap-toronto-reigns-supreme-boston-falls-3-1

 

[Boston Bruins]

Preview: 4 Nations Face-Off shifts to Boston

Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

SCOC caught up with USA’s Slavin and Sweden’s Kempe ahead of Week 2 of the best-on-best tournament.

The NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off returns for Week 2 as the international best-on-best tournament shifts to Boston on Monday.

Team USA punched its ticket to Thursday’s championship game with its 3-1 win over Canada on Saturday in Montreal.

The game was fresh on the minds of the coaches and players, and was one that had the hockey community and its fans buzzing.

USA head coach Mike Sullivan acknowledged how seriously the players are taking the tournament and what it means to the players to be so competitive at this level with the best players on this stage.

“It was an electric environment,” Sullivan said. “The atmosphere and the energy in the building, it was just palatable. When you think about competing in a high stakes environment, Stanley Cup Finals, things of that nature, that was the feeling that it had.”

On tap first Monday is a chance for either Canada or Finland to advance to meet the USA in that game.

Either team can accomplish that feat with a regulation win. However, if Canada/Finland game ends in overtime, Sweden has a chance at the finals with a win over USA tomorrow night.

On Sunday in Boston, only Finland held a full team practice. Canada had an optional skate with a few players on ice. Sweden and USA did not practice. No Bruins — Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy, Jeremy Swayman, or Charlie McAvoy, were available during media availability on Sunday at the TD Garden.

SCOC had the chance to catch up with defenseman Jaccob Slavin of Team USA and forward Adrian Kempe of Team Sweden as teams arrived in Boston Sunday.

Here’s what the two had to say on a couple different topics that SCOC asked them.

Angelina Berube/SCOC
USA’s Jaccob Slavin talks to media about the 4 Nations Face-off at the TD Garden on Sunday.

Jaccob Slavin (Carolina Hurricanes) on shifting the tournament to Boston and knowing the U.S. team has a shot at the championship “at home”:

“That’s something that’s super special. When you get a chance to win something of this caliber on your home soil is going to be a special time. We are looking forward to it and it’s going to be fun.”

Jaccob Slavin on USA’s physicality and how it got the team to this point:

“That’s a big identity to our group and how we play here. The caliber of plays that we have, the style of players that we have. I think that’s just a natural part of our group has a physical presence to it, but it’s hard to play against. It’s hard to go in the corner as a d knowing you’re about to get run over or whatever it is. It keeps the other teams on their toes.”

Angelina Berube/SCOC
Sweden’s Adrian Kempe speaks to media about the 4 Nations Face-off at the TD Garden on Sunday.

SCOC asked Adrian Kempe (LA Kings), depending on the outcome of the first game, what Sweden’s game against the USA becomes for him and his team:

“It’s a really important game for us. Obviously we want to end on a high note. We need to win a game. We lost two in OT and that’s tough for us, but I think we’ve showed that we can play with the best teams so it’s a really important game for us. Either way if we end up playing in the final game or not, I think if we finish strong here like we’ve talked about in the locker room, I think that’s going to be the most important thing obviously. Right now, it’s tough after yesterday’s game. We’re still thinking about it a little bit. We have to reset and let that go and think about the game tomorrow and hopefully we can finish on a high note.”

Ahead of playing against his LA Kings’ teammate Drew Doughty tomorrow night, Adrian Kempe talked about how important 4 Nations was to his teammate and how it will be a confidence boost for his teammate once this week is over and the regular season picks up again:

“I’m really proud of Drew. Obviously tough injury going into the season, coming back so late, just a couple games before the break here. Making the team, I think it’s really good for his confidence. I think it’s really good for him to play in games now with the time he’s been off from the ice, I think this is going to help him come back to the regular team and the regular season after this. I’m really happy for him. It’s well deserved and he’s been playing great so far as well.”

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...-nations-face-off-shifts-to-boston-nhl-bruins

 

[Boston Bruins]

Recap: Canada tops Finland, 5-3, to advance to 4 Nations championship

Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

The rematch is set!

Canada will meet the USA after it defeated Finland, 5-3, in its final game of the round-robin round of the 4 Nations Face-off on Monday afternoon at the TD Garden.

Despite a 4-0 lead with seven minutes to go in regulation, Finland’s late surge added three goals within five minutes. Two of those were netted by Mikael Granlund 23 seconds apart with less than a minute and a half in the game, with the extra attacker, to give Finland a shot at tying the game.

“They made a really good push, but at the end of the day, we did the job and really looking forward to the next one,” Canada forward Brad Marchand said.

Canada sent a message early as the team led 3-0 after the first period.

Two quick goals just 46 seconds apart from Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon put Canada in the driver’s seat on their first two shots of the game, before the five-minute mark.

Brayden Point added the third tally of the period, capitalizing on a rebound.

Canada extended its lead as Sidney Crosby connected with MacKinnon to make it 4-0 early in the second period which resulted in Finland backup goaltender Juuse Saros subbing in for starter Kevin Lankinen.

“Those guys are big game players, it’s what they do,” Brad Marchand said postgame about MacKinnon, McDavid and Crosby’s performance in the win. “They’re some of the best that will ever play this game, and they are built to win.”

Here are the game’s highlights:

First period:

Connor McDavid opened the scoring with a wrist shot after circling the top of the left-wing circle to beat Kevin Lankinen’s glove at 4:13 of the first period. 1-0 Canada.

Nathan MacKinnon powered past Finland’s defense and heading straight to the net to give Canada its second goal in 46 seconds at 4:59 of the first period. 2-0 Canada.

Brayden Point picks up Travis Sanheim’s rebound out front to put a backhand past Lankinen 3-0 Canada at 13:02 of the first period. 3-0 Canada.

Second period:

Sidney Crosby fed a pass to MacKinnon for a quick snap shot past Lankinen as Canada continued its dominance at 5:03 of the second period. Juuse Saros subbed in for Lankinen after the goal. 4-0 Canada.

Third period:

Esa Lindell put Finland on the board with a top-shelf shot over Jordan Binnington’s blocker at 13:19 of the third period. 4-1 game.

Patrik Laine sent a pass to Mikael Granlund in the slot with the extra attacker where he put a one-timer past Binnington at 18:20 of the third period.

With the extra attacker again, Aleksander Barkov found Granlund in the slot for his second of the game seconds later at 18:43 of the third period. 4-3 game.

But then Crosby regained a two-goal lead for Canada with an empty-net goal at 19:04 of the third period. Final score: 5-3 Canada.

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...land-5-3-to-advance-to-4-nations-championship

 

[Boston Bruins]

Charlie McAvoy admitted to Mass General Hospital for Upper Body Injury

Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

Mac may not be able to help the USA against Canada thanks to a trip to MGH.

This bird may not be able to fly free with all the injuries it’s picking up.

Charlie McAvoy was one of a number of players yesterday who didn’t see action for Team USA against Sweden, and apparently he’s been admitted to Mass General to deal with an upper body injury, per the Boston Globe’s Jim McBride.

This is just another one of the major setbacks the US has faced coming out of the win over Canada, where they’ve had Matthew Tkachuk and Auston Matthews out for undisclosed injuries, and only recently lost Brady Tkachuk during their 2-1 loss to Sweden. Mercifully, it appears Brady was only taken out of the lineup for precautionary reasons, but it’s just another body on a rapidly growing pile of injured men for the Red, White and Blue, with the Championship game ahead against Canada on Thursday evening.

For the Bruins side of things? Well, we’ve seen a couple of games where Charlie McAvoy has been out with the current B’s blueline depth as backup. The results were, and I am being extremely generous here; not good. McAvoy being out for any length of time is going to be putting some awful times on this defense corps which has been struggling throughout the year with just about every other part of the game.

It is for this reason that we hope that Mac gets back to 100% in short order; he’s got two teams counting on him to bounce back big, and losing him now would hurt big time.

Get well soon, Charlie!

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...sa-can-iihf-nhl-boston-bruins-hockey-freebird

 

[Boston Bruins]

Public Skate: 4 Nations Monday doubleheader

Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

It’s on!

We’ve got a doubleheader today!

Up first, Canada and Finland at 1 p.m. which could determine who will meet the USA in Thursday’s championship game.

At 8 p.m. Sweden may be playing for pride looking for its first win of the tournament against the USA.

Discuss!

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/2025/2/17/24367400/public-skate-4-nations-monday-doubleheader

 

[Boston Bruins]

Preview: USA, Canada set for 4 Nations Face-Off championship tonight

Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

Get the group chat ready!

Just the facts​

When: Tonight, 8 PM -ish

Where: TD Garden — Boston, Mass.

How to follow: ESPN, ESPN+, Disney+, 98.5 The Sports Hub

Head-to-head​

USA

Zach Werenski: 0G, 5A, 5PTS; Jake Guentzel: 3G, 1A, 4PTS; Jack Eichel: 0G, 4A, 4PTS

Power play: 25%; penalty kill: 100%; GF 3.33; 1.33 GAA

Canada

Sidney Crosby: 1G, 4A, 5PTS, Connor McDavid: 2G, 2A, 4PTS, Nathan MacKinnon: 3G, 0A, 3PTS

Power play: 33.3%; penalty kill: 100%; GF: 3.33; 3.00 GAA

Game notes​

• After two weeks, the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off is set for an epic conclusion as Team USA and Team Canada meet in the championship game tonight at TD Garden.
• Fireworks went off just seconds, literally, went the two met in the round-robin portion of the tournament with millions of people watching. Will there be more? Only the group chat likely knows.
• With all the chaos and unknowns with injuries and illnesses and technicalities in between, if one thing’s certain, players on both sides, who we know will be in the game, are ready and embracing the opportunity to represent their countries.
• “I think both teams are trying to impose themselves on the game and not give an inch,” Team USA and Massachusetts native Jack Eichel said. “It’s been a while since we’ve played this sort of format and represented our countries in a best-on-best tournament. Everyone wants to represent their countries as best as possible.”
• “When you are playing for your country, you do whatever it takes to win,” Team Canada forward Brad Marchand said. “It’s been an incredible experience.”
• For the Bruins’ captain, he’s relishing the opportunity to participate in a best-on-best tournament like this: “These moments are so few and far between,” Marchand said “You never know when you are going to get another one. The biggest thing I’ve learned throughout my career is you have to embrace every opportunity to enjoy the moment.”
• Media soundbite: Fellow Canada teammate Connor McDavid, who scored the opening goal between the two team last game, talked about his excitement to represent his country and expects it to be a “hostile environment” for Canada in the Boston arena. But he added how great it would be to involve0 more countries in a future tournament like this — “There’s some great players sitting at home,” McDavid told reporters at the TD Garden yesterday. “If we want it to be the biggest stage in the world, well then you need everybody involved.”
• Charlie McAvoy is out for Team USA. While his status for the game was released on Tuesday, the Boston Bruins divulged more yesterday saying he had an infection stemming from a shoulder injury sustained during the 4 Nations tournament.
• Marchand told media yesterday that he hadn’t planned on reaching out to any teammates during the tournament, but that changed when he found out about McAvoy.
• Tonight’s game also holds special significance for four members of Team USA, playing not only on U.S. soil to try to win this thing, but also as Massachusetts natives with the chance to win it at home. Jack Eichel, Matt Boldy, Noah Hanifin and Chris Kreider.
• Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson and New Jersey Devils defenseman Brett Pesce are reportedly in Boston on an emergency basis for Team USA, according to NHL.com.
• So, Team USA or Team Canada...who do you think will come out on top? Until we all find out tonight, let us know your thoughts on who has the edge!
• We’ll see you tonight in Boston!

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...t-for-4-nations-face-off-championship-tonight

 

[Boston Bruins]

4 Nations Faceoff Championship GAMETHREAD

Photo by Martin Rose/Getty Images

Leave it out on the ice. Leave no doubt.

International hockey events like this, like the Olympics, and yes, like the World Cup of Hockey when they care to put them on, are a once in a great while kind of thing. Even if the NHL swears up and down that the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win, someone wins it every year without fail. That’s not true at the Olympics, or the World Cup.

You may miss your shot at representing your country forever, or even end up missing just because of a stupid thing like a dislocated digit, or even worse; the guy getting to pick the team isn’t very smart or carries a lot of their national team’s mental baggage. Anyone who gets picked for these kinds of non-annual events, be they played once, twice, or every four years, is going to play their ass off because when are they ever going to have that shot again.

This game was always going to mean something for Team Canada, who has been through a lot lately as a program and as a country, and does not have a whole lot of Sidney Crosby left to carry, and it was going to mean a lot for Team USA, who has been slowly rising to the level of Canada for years now, and wants to prove that point at the highest stage imaginable.

All of that outside stuff? As much as the teams will try to brush it off in the moment, it does add up. It will feed into how they respond to a hooting and hollering Boston crowd. It will feed into how many Canadians choose to come down to America to heckle the National Anthem. It will feed into how loud and long the USA chants last. It will bleed into this game that two sides were already going to be amped up for.

So, maybe against their will and against what the league expected, this game will matter. It will matter a lot.

So, with all that preamble…let’s just hope for a good clean game. 60 more minutes of best-on-best. Leave it all out on the ice. Leave no room for interpretation or doubt.

Also please for god’s sake be normal in this thread, okay?

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/2025/2/20/24369177/4-nations-faceoff-championship-gamethread

 

[Boston Bruins]

Morning Skate: Reset

Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images

The Bruins are almost back.

Welcome to Friday, folks!

Pretty good hockey game last night, huh?

Connor McDavid’s overtime goal gave Canada a 3-2 win in the inaugural Four Nations Face-Off, capping a tournament that exceeded most expectations.

I know I count myself among those who was on the fence about this whole in-season exhibition, but once the games started, you could tell we’d be treated to high-level hockey.

I’m still not sure how McDavid, of all people, was left that wide open in the slot, but I am just a simple observer.

If you’re like me, you were watching that thrilling, high-skill, high-intensity, end-to-end hockey game last night and thinking, “boy, I can’t wait until the Bruins come back and give us...the opposite of this!”

To be fair to the Bruins, that’s probably a little harsh, with a layer of extra cynicism due to the fact that it feels like it hasn’t been above 25 degrees (F) in Boston in like three weeks.

ANYWAYS, the Bruins are almost back!

The Four Nations-induced practice break ended earlier this week and the Bruins will return to game action tomorrow night, hosting the Anaheim Ducks at TD Garden.

It’ll probably take some time for all of us to readjust to NHL play, including the “who’s in/who’s out” daily roster machinations.

Charlie McAvoy is obviously out for quite a bit. Hampus Lindholm is getting closer, it seems, but doesn’t appear to be ready yet.

David Pastrnak, who admirably remained defiantly indifferent to the Four Nations throughout, will look to continue his hot streak when the season resumes.

As a reminder, the Bruins remain outside of the playoff picture as of Friday morning, one and two points behind Detroit and Ottawa, respectively, in the Wild Card race.

Detroit has two games in hand on the B’s, while Ottawa has one.

However, Tampa, at third in the Atlantic with 66 points, remains in striking distance too.

Oh and just to throw another grenade in the mix, the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline is two weeks from today.

Discuss.

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...ews-bruins-return-after-four-nations-face-off

 

[Boston Bruins]

Preview: Bruins return to action against Ducks

Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images

Bruins set for last 25 games.

Just the facts​

When: Tonight, 7 PM

Where: TD Garden — Boston, Mass.

How to follow: NESN, 98.5 The Sports Hub

Know your enemy​

• 24-24-6, 54PTS, 6th in Pacific Division
• Troy Terry: 16G-23A-39PTS; Frank Vatrano: 16G-14A-30PTS; Ryan Strome: 7G-23A-30PTS
• Lukas Dostal: 15-13-4, 2.86 GAA, .911 save percentage; John Gibson: 9-9-2, 2.69 GAA, .915 save percentage

Game notes​

• The Boston Bruins are back and ready to resume their season against the Anaheim Ducks as the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament has come to an end. It’s the first time the two will meet this season.
• The Bruins entered the break on a two-game loosing streak, dropping both in one-goal games. Before the break, the Ducks were on a three-game winning streak and were 5-1-0 in their last six games.
• Interim head coach Joe Sacco said they are going to break down the remainder of the season into smaller increments as the team has 25 left to the regular season. He’s trying to have the team see things on a “smaller scale” rather than big picture, Sacco told media yesterday.
• Heading into this portion, the Bruins are 27-24-6, sitting just outside a wild card spot. And it’s a tight race now with teams separated by one to two points all vying for a couple positions.
• Head-to-head, the Bruins and the Ducks equally do not have a great power play. And believe it or not, the Ducks are slightly worse at 12.1% while the Bruins are 14.5%. Both penalty kills are similar, with the Ducks at 74.8% and Bruins at 75.4% effective.
• Sacco said Brad Marchand should be good to go tonight after not practicing yesterday with the team. I mean, hey, he just won the 4 Nations championship with Team Canada, so a rest day was expected.
• Injury updates: No new updates with Hampus Lindholm or Charlie McAvoy who will be out of the lineup.
• Jeremy Swayman is also expected to start tonight in net.
• It’s also fascinating that TD Garden crew will have had less than 48 hours to get things set up and be Bruins again after 4 Nations ended just before midnight on Thursday.
• See ya tonight!

Source: https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com...bruins-return-to-action-against-anaheim-ducks