Now that the Super Bowl is over and the NBA is about to go on its All-Star Break, the NHL is looking to steal some of the sports spotlight over the next couple of weeks. After a lot of hype, the 4 Nations Face-Off is finally here for hockey fans to enjoy.
Four countries, Canada, Sweden, Finland, and the United States will take part in what is expected to be an interesting week-plus of hockey in Montreal and the Bell Centre and Boston at the TD Garden. Four members of the Boston Bruins will be playing for their country. Here is a breakdown of those four players and which country they’ll be suiting up for.
Brad Marchand, Canada
Boston captain Brad Marchand has spoken multiple times about what it’ll be like to play for his country. He gets an opportunity to play with Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon for a team loaded with talent. Marchand’s chances to play for his country are limited for the rest of his career and expect him to make an impact before all is said and done. He scored his 20th goal of the season in Saturday’s loss to the Vegas Golden Knights and he’ll likely be a third or fourth liner for this tournament.
Charlie McAvoy, United States
The Bruins missed defenseman, Charlie McAvoy when he was out injured over the last month. He made an immediate impact upon his return with goals against the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild. He is Boston’s best offensive defenseman, but playing in this tournament will be beneficial for the Bruins in terms of McAvoy getting his game conditioning back.
Jeremy Swayman, United States
It hasn’t been the best season for goalie Jeremy Swayman and he’ll be the first to admit that. He missed all of training camp because of his contract and he proved that camp is important to all players. Over the last month, he has been better for the Black and Gold, although he’d like to have a couple of the goals back he allowed to the Golden Knights. He’s joining a talented netminding group for Team USA with Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets and Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars.
Elias Lindholm, Sweden
If there is one player who might be able to use the tournament to get better, it’s Elias Lindholm. His first season in Boston has been a disappointment in all areas of his game and he’s not looking like the player that has a yearly AAV of $7.75 million. Sometimes a change of scenery just like this can do a player some good and that’s what the Bruins coaching staff and front office are hoping happens here.
With no Bruins hockey until Feb. 22, the 4 Nations Fave-Off should be enough to get your hockey fix.