While the NBA and NASCAR look like they’re on the road to pure and perpetual in-season tournaments, you can sometimes say the same about the NHL. But professional hockey kind of has an in-season tournament of their own called the 4 Nations Face-Off that’s taking place in lieu of the NHL All-Star Game.
No, this doesn’t entail the league’s 32 teams going at it, as the tournament’s name might indicate. Instead, we’re looking at a round-robin-style event featuring the best players in the NHL from the United States, Sweden, Finland, and Canada.
So, when is this event taking place, how can you tune in, and what makes this one potentially more entertaining? Keep reading for a quick rundown.
When is the 4 Nations Face-Off?
You can catch the event between February 12th and February 20th. All four teams will play one another in a round-robin format, with Canada and Sweden kicking things off on February 12th at 8 p.m. EST. The rest of the schedule will play out as follows:
- Thursday, February 13th: United States vs. Finland at 8:00 p.m.
- Saturday, February 15th: Finland vs. Sweden at 1:00 p.m.
- Saturday, February 15th: United States vs. Canada at 8:00 p.m.
All above games will take place at the Bell Centre
- Monday, February 17th: Canada vs. Finland at 1:00 p.m.
- Monday, February 17th: Sweden vs. United States at 8:00 p.m.
- Thursday, February 20th: Championship Game at 8:00 p.m.
All above games will take place at the TD Garden
How to watch the 4 Nations Face-Off?
You can catch each game with fuboTV if you’re looking to stream the games on truTV, TNT, ESPN, or ABC. Select games will also appear on MAX and ESPN+, and in Canada, you can catch every game on SN or TVAS.
fuboTV has live NHL games on ESPN which you can stream from your phone, television, and all your favorite devices. This is a service that broadcasts live TV over the internet, no cable is required. Watch your favorite teams, network shows, news, and movies on 100+ channels. Plus on-demand entertainment including full TV series. fuboTV is currently available in the United States, Canada, and Spain.
Why is this 4 Nations Face-Off potentially better than the All-Star Game?
In virtually all the big four North American pro sports leagues, their respective All-Star Games lack a competitive edge. When you tuned into past NHL All-Star Games, you probably saw the players going about half as hard as they otherwise would have in a 3-on-3 setting.
This created for predictable high-scoring games, and it might’ve made a contingent of fans wonder if there was any point to playing these games every year. With the 4 Nations Face-Off, you’ll see much more competitive hockey, especially since the United States and Canada, plus Sweden and Finland, share fierce rivalries on the international scale.
Plus, we’ll see players who are otherwise teammates compete against one another in a high-stakes setting. No, those coaching serious contenders may not like the idea much, but this one should be more entertaining for the fans.
What are the rule differences in the 4 Nations Face-Off?
The biggest question here might be whether the league would be playing with international rules or if they would stick with the NHL rulebook. For this one, it’ll be NHL hockey the way you’ve always known it, so you won’t need to get used to different-sized rinks or anything like that.
And it makes sense, as each player involved is currently in the National Hockey League. The same can’t be said if this were an IIHF-sanctioned event, which many of the league’s players take part in if their team didn’t earn a trip to the postseason.