4 Nations Face-Off NHL Picks: Finland vs. United States Odds

The NHL’s inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off continues on Thursday night from Montreal with the United States taking the ice for the first time in the event and facing Finland. The Americans are heavy favorites on the NHL odds and MyBookie has the 4 Nations Face-Off NHL picks you need to get into the NHL action tonight and the rest of the tournament.

Looking to Bet On Your Warriors vs Mavericks Pick to Win the Next Game

When: Thursday, 7 PM ET
Where: Bell Centre, Montreal
TV: TNT, truTV
Stream: Max
Opening 4 Nations Face-Off Lines: USA -340, Finland +270 (total 5.5)

4 Nations Face-Off Tournament Format

All games in the 4 Nations Face-Off are played via NHL rules as it’s only players from that league and not international rules like the Olympics – which the NHL will allow players to return to in 2026 in Italy.

NHL guys haven’t played in the Games since 2014. The USA, Canada, Finland and Sweden are in this.

Each team will play three tournament games in a round-round format, under the following points system: 3 points for a win in regulation time; 2 points for a win in overtime/shootout; 1 point for a loss in overtime/shootout; and 0 points for a loss in regulation time.

The two teams with the best tournament record will then advance to a one-game Final. That is next Thursday in Boston.

Why Bet on Finland?

The Finns will be without one of their best defenders for the tournament in Miro Heiskanen of the Dallas Stars. Heiskanen was injured in the third period of the Stars’ overtime victory over Vegas on Jan. 28 after taking a hit from Mark Stone, who fell toward Heiskanen’s left knee and thigh after getting tripped. He has 25 points this season with a plus-7 rating and might not return for Dallas until March.

One of Finland’s top forwards, Carolina Hurricanes right wing Mikko Rantanen, will play despite missing Carolina’s final game before the break with an injury. Across his first six contests with his new club, the 28-year-old has tallied one goal and one assist. During his first 49 games of the season in Colorado, he tallied 64 points (25 goals and 39 helpers).

The Finns have great depth at center and some of the best two-way forwards in the NHL. Stanley Cup champion and two-time Selke Award winner Barkov of the Florida Panthers will captain the team and be the undisputed No. 1 center. Rantanen and Arturri Lehkonen were linemates for the Avalanche and will flank Barkov on the top line.

The likely starting goaltender for the Finns on Thursday is Nashville’s Juuse Saros despite having one of his worst seasons. We last saw him allow six goals in a loss to Chicago on Feb. 7. Saros lost his fifth straight game for the Predators and is 11-23-6 with a 2.95 GAA and an .899 save percentage over 41 starts.

Perhaps it could be Vancouver’s Kevin Lankinen. He has posted a 2.53 GAA and .905 save percentage, with a 19-8-7 record with the Canucks. Lankinen made his Liiga debut in 2013-14 and played in Finland’s top professional league until 2017-18, when a 10-3-2 regular-season campaign helped him secure an NHL contract with Chicago.

This will be the eighth time that Finland participates in an NHL International Tournament, following four Canada Cup appearances and entries at all three World Cup of Hockey events. Finland has reached the playoff round in three of seven previous appearances, including one appearance in the final (runner-up at 2004 World Cup of Hockey).

A total of 5% of NHL players are Finnish, the seventh straight season in which that has been the case, and a total of 269 Finnish players have played at least one NHL game (regular season or playoffs), including 51 this season. The most Finnish players to skate in a single regular season is 63 (2021-22). Finland is one of two countries to produce multiple 600-goal scorers (Teemu Selanne: 684; Jari Kurri: 601), alongside Canada. Eight Finnish players have skated 1,000 career NHL regular-season games.

A Finnish player has landed among the top 10 in League scoring four times in the past six seasons, with Rantanen (2023-24, 2022-23 & 2020-21) and Barkov (2018-19) combining for those instances. It had happened only once in 17 seasons from 2000-01 to 2017-18 (Teemu Selanne: 2010-11).

The 2024 Stanley Cup champion Panthers had four Finnish players, the most by a Cup winner in league history. Barkov became the first Finnish player to captain a Stanley Cup champion.

Finland won two gold medals and made three straight appearances in the final at the World Championship from 2019 to 2022 (facing Canada each time).

JOIN NOW

4 Nations Face-Off Point Spreads Today provided by MyBookie

Why Bet on USA?

This United States team might be the greatest collection of talent for the USA since the 1996 World Cup of Hockey when it was led by Pat LaFontaine, Brett Hull, Mike Modano and Keith Tkachuk. Now it’s Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, Jack Hughes and the Tkachuk brothers, Brady and Matthew, at forward. The defense is also stacked, led by former Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox and Zach Werenski — although the loss of the injured Quinn Hughes hurts.

Nine Americans lead a team in points this season (outright or tied), including Kyle Connor, Eichel, Jack and Werenski. Ten Americans pace a club in goals (outright or tied), including Jack Hughes, Dylan Larkin and Brady Tkachuk.

Hughes, 25, won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman last season and has been Vancouver’s most valuable player this season with 59 points (14 goals, 45 assists) in 47 games. He was replaced on Team USA by Ottawa defenseman Jake Sanderson. The 22-year-old is in his third NHL season and has 35 points in 55 games for the Senators.

The USA appears to have the best goaltending ground in the tournament led by two-time Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck of Winnipeg, who is the massive betting favorite to win a third this season. The 31-year-old leads the NHL in wins (34), save percentage (.925, minimum 20 games) and goals-against average (2.06, minimum 20 games).

He comes into the 4 Nations Face-Off having won six games in a row, and since the calendar turned to January he’s 10-2-1 with a .913 save percentage and 2.22 GAA in 13 games. United States coach Mike Sullivan said earlier this week has decided who will start Thursday but hasn’t said yet. Hellebuyck has represented the United States at three World Championships (2017, 2015 & 2014) and was part of Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

“He’s so big (6-foot-4, 207 pounds) and you have no net, you can’t see any net when you’re shooting on him,” U.S. forward Matthew Tkachuk said of Hellebuyck. “I’ve played against him a bunch for a lot of years. He’s a super, super elite goalie. It’s really fun having him on my side.”

The United States has reached the playoff round in five of eight NHL International Tournaments to date, including two trips to the final – finishing as runner-up at the 1991 Canada Cup and winning the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. The USA’s title in 1996 added to gold medals won at the 1980 and 1960 Olympics as well as the 1933 World Championship. The country claimed medals at two of five Olympics that included NHL players, securing silver in both 2010 and 2002.

Americans have dominated at recent World Junior Championship tournaments, including two straight gold medals and four of the past nine titles (2025, 2024, 2021 & 2017). The country has medaled at eight of the past 10 such events (4 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze).

Expert Prediction: USA 4, Finland 2
NHL Pick: USA