Here’s which Bruins will play in the 4 Nations Face-Off

The four squads for the four-nation duel in February have now been determined (injuries subject to change). The United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland will all announce their teams on Wednesday.

The Boston Bruins will be featured on three of the four rosters, with Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman making Team USA, Brad Marchand representing Canada and Elias Lindholm being selected for Sweden.

McAvoy and Marchand had already been announced as “First Six” selections by their respective countries in the summer. Lindholm and Swayman learned Wednesday that they had been selected.

A few Bruins were notably absent on Wednesday, as Hampus Lindholm didn’t make Team Sweden and Joonas Korpisalo was left off Finland’s roster.

Hampus Lindholm had a good start this season, but unfortunately suffered a knee injury on November 12th, which significantly affected his chances of making the team, especially as he is expected to be out for a few more weeks. Sweden’s defense is also overloaded, so Lindholm probably wouldn’t have been a lock even if he had stayed healthy.

Jonas Brodin, who is also currently injured, is probably the player Lindholm should have thrown out. Even then, there’s no guarantee he would have been next up against Detroit Red Wings youngster Simon Edvinsson, who some were already calling a “snub” on Wednesday.

Korpisalo is off to a strong start in his first season as a Bruin, posting a 6-2-1 record with a .909 save percentage while backing up Swayman. But that wasn’t enough to elevate him above three goaltenders who have played more games and also put up solid numbers – Nashville’s Juuse Saros (6-10-5, .911), Vancouver’s Kevin Lankinen (12-3-3, . 906). ) and Buffalo’s Ukko-Pekka Lukkonen (8-6-2, .906).

Speaking of Swayman, one could wonder if his slow start (7-9-2, .892) would cost him a spot on Team USA, but he ultimately made it as the third goalie behind Connor Hellebuyck and Jake Oettinger. Seattle’s Joey Daccord (11-6-1, .912) and his tandem mates Anthony Stolarz (8-4-2, .924) and Toronto’s Joseph Woll (6-2-0, .923) were strong competitors, as were Daccord may be considered for Canada as he has dual eligibility and has not yet committed internationally to either country.

On Team Canada, Marchand and Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon have created an all-Nova Scotia roster through a series of mock lineups, which would certainly be a fun trio to watch. Marchand, Crosby and Patrice Bergeron made Canada’s first team at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and led the team to gold.

The Bruins’ biggest star, David Pastrnak, will not participate in the tournament because the NHL decided to limit the tournament to four teams and leave out the Czech Republic, which Pastrnak expressed displeasure with earlier this year. Linemate Pavel Zacha would also have been a lock for the Czech team.

Nikita Zadorov would have had a good chance of making it to a Russian team, but the NHL did not accept Russia due to the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Russia will also remain banned from all IIHF events at least until the end of the 2024/25 season. It is unclear whether Russia will be allowed to take part in the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The 4 Nations Face-Off will be the first international tournament to feature NHL players since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. The NHL has barred players from participating in the last two Olympics but will return for the 2026 Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy. The league has also committed to the 2030 Olympics in the French Alps and is expected to compete in the 2034 Olympics on American soil in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The 4 Nations Face-Off begins on February 12th at the Bell Center in Montreal before moving to Boston’s TD Garden for the final two round-robin games on February 17th and the championship game on February 20th. The games will take place on February 17th. It will be USA against Sweden and Canada against Finland. The two teams with the best record in the round-robin phase advance to the final.