Four Nations Face-Off Odds, Favorites, Longshots

For the first time ever, the NHL is hosting a best-on-best international tournament in the middle of its regular season.

The inaugural Four Nations Face-Off is replacing the regularly scheduled All-Star weekend in 2025, with the best players of Canada, Sweden, Finland and the United States squaring off over an eight-day tournament from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston.

The NHL has previously paused its season for players to participate in the IIHF-sanctioned Winter Olympics, but Four Nations stands as the first NHL-sponsored, international event since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, which Canada won by defeating Team Europe in the best-of-3 tournament series.

Naturally, the quality of play will be highly scrutinized, but if the players take it seriously, it should be a great event. Here is everything you need to know about the Four Nations Face-Off and how to bet on it at BetMGM.

Four Nations Face-Off Schedule

All times Eastern

• Feb. 12: Sweden vs Canada, 8 p.m., Bell Centre in Montreal
• Feb. 13: Finland vs United States, 8 p.m., Bell Centre in Montreal
• Feb. 15: Sweden vs Finland, 1 p.m., Bell Centre in Montreal
• Feb. 15: United States vs Canada, 8 p.m., Bell Centre in Montreal
• Feb. 17: Canada vs Finland, 1 p.m., TD Garden in Boston
• Feb. 17: Sweden vs United States, 8 p.m., TD Garden in Boston
• Feb. 20: Championship Game, 8 p.m., TD Garden in Boston

Four Nations Face-Off Odds

• Canada (+165)
• United States (+165) 
• Sweden (+425)
• Finland (+600)

Four Nations Face-Off Favorites

Canada (+165)

Canada is listed first due to its place in the alphabet, but the Canadians should actually be favored to win the tournament as well. Canadians will be right to tell you it has won every best-on-best tournament since 2006, and Canada has claimed every best-on-best tournament played in North America since it was stunned by the U.S. in the inaugural World Cup of Hockey in 1996.

With a superstar-laden roster that features Hart Trophy winners Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon, plus perennial Norris Trophy candidate Cale Makar, Canada is loaded and rightly deserving of its place as co-favorites, especially since it will play two games at home in Montreal.

Still, the questions for Canada will always come in goal, and there are bona fide concerns about Canada’s goaltending. The last time Canada won an international tournament, Carey Price was in net, and even though Jordan Binnington and Adin Hill have each won the Stanley Cup, the Canadians likely are perceived to have the tournament’s worst goaltending.

United States (+165)

If Hockey Canada has been chomping at the bit to get a best-on-best tournament played, USA Hockey must have been as well. This is the golden age of American hockey, and the Four Nations roster reflects the incredible skill and depth of USA Hockey’s development.

The Americans are the only roster to feature a Hart Trophy winner (Auston Matthews), Vezina Trophy winner (Connor Hellebuyck) and Norris Trophy winner, of which there are two in Quinn Hughes and Adam Fox. Matthews isn’t the only super-skilled forward since Jack Eichel, Jack Hughes, Matthew and Brady Tkachuk and the criminally underrated Kyle Connor make up arguably the best forward group in the tournament.

Coaching has historically been an issue in previous best-on-best ideations, since the Americans have played a gritty, underdog style despite boasting superior talent. With two-time Stanley Cup winner Mike Sullivan running the bench, that shouldn’t be an issue this year, but it is something to keep an eye on.

Four Nations Face-Off Longshots

Sweden (+425)

Sweden actually was the last nation to win a best-on-best tournament, though Henrik Lundqvist was the goalie when the Swedes topped the Finns to claim the gold medal at the 2006 Torino Olympics.

Sweden is a fun darkhorse to consider wagering, since it also boasts a pair of former Norris Trophy winners, three-time recipient Erik Karlsson and the 2018 winner Victor Hedman. Plus, it will boast 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark in goal, and the Senators netminder has played well this season too.

The Swedes tend to play a smart style, but their roster is still loaded with offensive skill, keyed by William Nylander, Filip Forsberg and Elias Pettersson. Whether they have enough offensive firepower to get past the U.S. and Canada remains to be seen.

Finland (+625)

Like Sweden, Finland is an intriguing underdog, especially at the current odds. Though it is the only roster without a Hart, Vezina or Norris Trophy winner – Aleksander Barkov has won the Selke Trophy twice – the Finns can keep up offensively with two-time 100-point producer Mikko Rantanen and Carolina Hurricanes linemate Sebastian Aho.

The Finns may play a similar style to the Swedes, and they have had trouble persevering past their Scandinavian rivals in best-on-best events, to the point where Sweden deems Finland its “little brother,” Sweden coach Sam Hallam told NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger.

Ultimately there are no underdogs in this tournament, since the Finland roster is loaded even though many of its players are less accomplished in terms of individual awards. Like all the teams, the Finns can win it. They just seem like the least likely to do so entering the tournament.