The second half of the NHL season begins Saturday with 14 games coming out of the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Finland beat Sweden in an emotional match. Patrik Laine was very solid in his team’s victory… and he even took the opportunity to taunt Sweden after the match. It was an intense game, and above all, it was an important victory for Finland,

Barkov probably won’t be needed on defense – though he took one shift on defense in NHL games each of the past two seasons when the Florida Panthers were short-handed – but his willingness to do so demonstrates Finland’s attitude with an injury-depleted roster heading into the best-on-best tournament against Canada, Sweden and the United States.

The NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off was an overwhelming success. Getting Stanley Cup Final-like ratings, the tournament exposed the sport of hockey to new eyes.

There is a total lack of consensus amongst players about whether or not to institute such a change for the 82-game regular season, where the overtime format has long been a talking point.

At Bet365, as of Thursday afternoon, USA is a gaudy -380 with a total of 6 goals and the under favored at -120. The puck line has USA at -1.5 goals and -140.

Those are the biggest memories that I have of watching as a young kid — international hockey, Olympic events, best-on-best.’

The NHL returns with a solid Saturday night slate. Our NHL props expert has whipped up three beauties for tonight, including the Barkov blitz.

MONTREAL -- Aleksander Barkov got a taste of the atmosphere at the 4 Nations Face-off when he was on the ice as Finland’s captain for the opening ceremony prior to Canada’s 4-3 overtime victory against Sweden on Wednesday.

There is a wide variety of options for fans to represent their countries for the upcoming tournament, and Fanatics has the best selection of 4 Nations Face-Off gear. Customers can get free shipping by using the promo code 24SHIP at Fanatics. Auston Matthews USA Fanatics 2025 4 Nations Face-Off Premium Jersey - $239.99