The 2025 4 Nations Face-Off tournament began Wednesday night with a matchup between Team Canada and Team Sweden, with Canada coming away victorious via a 4-3 overtime win.
Mark Stone and Shea Theodore suited up for Canada, with Adin Hill serving as Jordan Binnington’s backup. Bruce Cassidy also represented his country as one of Jon Cooper’s assistant coaches behind the bench.
But Theodore took just nine shifts and played 6:59 before exiting the game with an injury. He did not return, and the news after the game was not good, as Cooper announced that Theodore will miss the remainder of the tournament, calling it “a big blow” to Canada.
It could be an even bigger blow to the Golden Knights if Theodore is out long-term.
The hit in question seemed relatively innocuous, as Los Angeles’ Adrian Kempe delivered a clean check to Theodore along the boards. However, Theodore appeared to clutch his wrist or arm almost immediately, and he was in considerable pain on the bench. After a brief word with a trainer, Theodore headed down the tunnel and did not return.
“It’s heartbreaking for the kid,” Cooper said. “It’s a tough one to swallow because you just know how much it means.”
Cooper said Theodore was the first one high-fiving his teammates after the game, but he did not reveal details about the nature or severity of the injury.
Theodore is having a career season for the Golden Knights, with seven goals and 48 points in 55 games. He is four points shy of tying his career high (52), and his 41 assists have already set a new career best. Theodore had 15 points in 14 games prior to the break.
The Golden Knights are already dealing with multiple injuries. Alex Pietrangelo dropped out of the tournament to nurse a nagging injury, and William Karlsson, who was named to Team Sweden, is currently on long-term injured reserve.
Philadelphia’s Travis Sanheim, who served as a healthy scratch on Wednesday, is expected to slot in for Theodore moving forward in the tournament.
Stone, who skated on a line with Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby, scored one of three regulation goals for Canada, hammering a one-timer from the slot off a setup by Crosby at 17:28 of the second period.
Canada took a 1-0 lead early in the first period on a star-studded power-play goal by MacKinnon, with assists from Crosby and Connor McDavid.
Brad Marchand then made it 2-0 after converting on a 2-on-1 with Brayden Point at 13:15.
After a lackluster opening frame, Sweden cut the deficit on a goal by Jonas Brodin, who beat Binnington from the right circle.
Stone’s goal restored Canada’s two-goal lead, but Kempe scored 1:54 into the third period to make it 3-2. Joel Eriksson Ek netted the equalizer with a backdoor tap-in at 8:59.
The two clubs competed in a 10-minute period of 3-on-3 overtime, trading chances at both ends. Sweden had a few opportunities to end it but was thwarted by impressive saves by Binnington. Though Gustavsson made a number of stops on point-blank chances, Mitch Marner scored 6:06 into extra time to give Canada the 4-3 win.
Since the tournament is using a three-point system, Canada earned two points with the overtime win, while Sweden earned a point for reaching extra time. Regulation wins will be worth three points.
The three stars of the game were Crosby (three assists), Marner (game-winner) and Lucas Raymond, who tallied two helpers for Sweden.
Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin will represent Team USA starting tomorrow night against Team Finland. Eichel is expected to center the top line between Kyle Connor and Matthew Tkachuk, while Hanifin is projected to skate on the third pairing with Brock Faber.
The rest of the 4 Nations Face-Off schedule is as follows, with the final three games set to take place at TD Garden in Boston:
Thursday, Feb. 13
United States vs. Finland — 5 p.m. PT (ESPN, ESPN+)
Saturday, Feb. 15
Finland vs. Sweden — 10 a.m. PT (ABC, ESPN+)
United States vs. Canada — 5 p.m. PT (ABC, ESPN+)
Monday, Feb. 17
Canada vs. Finland — 10 a.m. PT (MAX, truTV, TNT)
Sweden vs. United States — 5 p.m. PT (MAX, truTV, TNT)
Thursday, Feb. 20
Championship game — 5 p.m. PT (ESPN, ESPN+)