Three Questions Entering Rivalry Saturday at the 4 Nations

After the tournament got underway midweek, Saturday is slated to crank the 4 Nations Face-Off up into high gear with a rivalry double-header.  First, Finland and Sweden will get together at 1, then the U.S. will take on Canada in the night game.  Here are three storylines I'll have my eye on heading into what should be a phenomenal day of international hockey:

Heading into this tournament, Finland was the popular pick to dismiss as having at chance at winning, in large part because of a slew of injuries along the blue line.  In Thursday's tournament-opener against Team USA, some of those fears were clearly born out in the 6–1 defeat, but that's a deceptive scoreline as it relates to the actual run of play.  The Americans broke that game open early in the third, after the first 40 minutes had been far more competitive.

In international play, the Finns—regardless of level—are connected and relentless.  I would fully expect those 40 minutes of the USA game to be a better reflection of the game they play Saturday than the last 20.  Then the question becomes, will that be enough to beat Sweden in what is more than likely a de facto elimination game.

Matthew and Brady Tkachuk were the stars for Team USA in the win over Finland, showing their shared proclivity for taking over between the whistles and after them.  Team Canada has plenty of poise and winning experience, but they don't necessarily have that blend of nastiness and star power in the same player.  It won't be easy to throw Canada off their game for prolonged stretches, particularly not in front of a friendly Bell Centre crowd, but if there's any tandem up to that task, it's the Tkachuks.

The Tkachuk brothers are culture setters for Team USA, and they clearly thrive in chaos.  The question for Saturday night is just how disruptive can they be, and in what ways?  Can they create quality offense around the net, putting Canada's goaltending (an obvious weak point of an otherwise unimpeachable roster) under duress?  Can they disrupt Canada's rhythm with extra-curricular shenanigans?  Either could be valuable for Team USA; both could be too much for the Canadians to overcome.

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The Canadian power play scored 12 seconds into its only opportunity against Sweden on Wednesday (which happened to come in the very first minute of the game).  That quick-strike goal from Connor McDavid to Sidney Crosby to Nathan MacKinnon offered an immediate portrait of the ridiculous talent at Canada's disposal, setting a tone for the tournament.  Team USA held Finland scoreless in its two PP chances Thursday, but the degree of difficulty will climb Saturday night against McDavid, Crosby, MacKinnon, and Canada.

Discipline will obviously be a major variable, and the number of times the Americans need to ward off the Canadian man advantage will go a long way toward determining their effectiveness in stopping it, which in turn will go a long way toward deciding the outcome.

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