Tonight, Canada and Sweden will collide in the opening game of the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament, which will pit both teams, as well as Finland and the United States against one another.
Between now and Feb. 20, the four teams will compete in round-robin games, leading up to a championship game to decide the winner.
Currently, both Team USA and Canada are sitting as pretty big betting favorites, with Sweden and Finland sitting in third and fourth place, respectively. With the opening game of the tournament right around the corner, teams have been putting the finishing touches on their mini-camps to prepare.
Similarly, coaches are finalizing their lines for the opening game, with NHL insider Chris Johnston relaying Canada's lines from Monday's practice:
Forwards
- Sam Reinhart - Connor McDavid - Mitch Marner
- Mark Stone - Sidney Crosby - Nathan Mackinnon
- Brad Marchand - Brayden Point - Seth Jarvis
- Brandon Hagel - Anthony Cirelli - Sam Bennett
Defense
- Devon Toews - Cale Makar
- Josh Morrissey - Colton Parayko
- Shea Theodore - Drew Doughty
Goalies
- Adin Hill
- Jordan Binnington
Powerplay
- Sam Reinhart, Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan Mackinnon, Cale Makar
- Mark Stone, Brayden Point, Mitch Marner, Josh Morrissey, Shea Theodore
Penalty Kill
- Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel, Devon Toews, Colton Parayko
- Mitch Marner, Seth Jarvis, Devon Toews, Drew Doughty
Sidney Crosby good to go for Canada's 4 Nations Face-Off opener after arm injury
Heading into the 4 Nations Face-Off, Canadian captain Sidney Crosby suffered a left arm injury that forced him to miss back-to-back games for the Penguins. Despite that, Crosby has been given the go-ahead to participate in the 4 Nations Face-Off.
After consulting with Pittsburgh's doctors earlier in the week, Crosby traveled to Montreal with the team, where he met with the team's doctors prior to the start of the tournament.
According to the famed forward, he was given the go-ahead by team doctors, which then led to him participating in Monday's practice. He spoke with members of the press about his health:
"Just trying to see where I was at and get treatment and talk to everybody. It was a busy week but I'm happy to be here and excited to get going. A ton of talent, a ton of skill. [You have] to think and move quickly, be instinctive and also react to some of the plays they make. I think that's fun."
While Crosby and the Penguins may face an uphill battle if they want a wild card spot in the NHL Playoffs, he'll have a chance to compete for the first-ever 4 Nations Face-Off trophy with Canada.
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