4 Nations Face-Off: Standouts and Disappointments

As the 4 Nations Face-Off has come to an end, now is the time to review some standout players as well as disappointing players. In such a short tournament, it is crucial to stand out quickly. Otherwise, confidence can be lost just as fast. This awesome tournament gave us some prime examples of both performances. Here are some of the best and worst-performing players of the 4 Nations Face-Off.

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4 Nations Standouts

Zach Werenski, USA

Zach Werenski was arguably the best player in the tournament. As a defenseman, he led the 4 Nations Face-Off in points, which honestly was not a huge surprise considering how well he has played for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Werenski would have been the favourite to win tournament MVP for Team USA. Unfortunately, they fell just short once again to Canada.

The United States has had plenty of success with recent defensemen in International play. Cole Hutson led the previous World Junior Tournament in points, and now Zach Werenski led the Four Nations.

Nathan MacKinnon, Canada

Nathan MacKinnon was the best player in the tournament and ultimately won tournament MVP. He was by far Team Canada’s most consistent forward, who constantly drove the offense for the team. MacKinnon led the tournament in goals and scored some very important ones along the way. He opened the scoring against Sweden on opening night, scored twice in a must-win game against Finland, then capped it off with an opening goal in the championship game.

Teammate Connor McDavid earns some respect as well for scoring the championship-winning goal in overtime. It was a pleasure getting to watch these guys play together.

Honorable mention should also go to goaltender Jordan Binnington. He silenced many naysayers in the final game after letting in a few soft goals during the opening games.

Mikael Granlund, Finland

Mikael Granlund had a very impressive tournament. He was the best player on Team Finland and had two standout moments in three games. His overtime winner against their rival Sweden was one of the best moments of the tournament. That goal gave Finland some hope after a crushing loss to the United States.

In the following game, he potted two goals against Team Canada in the final minutes. This was almost part of a legendary comeback for Finland before Sidney Crosby sealed the deal with an empty-netter. The Dallas Stars acquired a good one in Mikael Granlund.

4 Nations Disappointments

Elias Pettersson, Sweden

Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson was arguably the most disappointing player in the tournament. He played in all three games, putting up zero points and only two shots on net. Pettersson has struggled in the regular season as well. There have been constant on-and-off rumors of him being involved in potential trades. His performance in the 4 Nations Face-Off certainly did not increase his trade value.

Juuse Saros, Finland

Juuse Saros had a fairly weak performance in the 4 Nations Face-Off. In his defense, Team Finland had the worst defensive core in the tournament. The injuries to Miro Heiskanen, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Jani Hakanpaa were a significant reason for their poor performance.

It’s also fair to argue Saros could have been better. A star goalie needs to show up in such a short tournament. Saros put together a weak .870 save percentage and a 3.96 goals-against average in two appearances. He needed to be better for Finland from the start.

Jack Hughes, USA

Jack Hughes was easily the most disappointing player for Team USA. He only had one assist in the tournament and seemed lost when he was on the ice. He was knocked off the puck so many times it became hard to watch. Nearly every shift, he fell and would shy away from the physicality of play.

It was surprising to see Kyle Connor get scratched for the championship game instead of Hughes. The speed that Kyle Connor plays with would have been more effective in last night’s game.

Up Next: Priorities for the Oilers Coming Out of the 4 Nations Break