4 Nations Predictions: Pittsburgh Penguins Edition

How will Pittsburgh Penguins players fare during the 4 Nations Face-off? And which team will take home the hardware?

Luckily, Pittsburgh Penguins fans do not have to wait long to see some of their favorite players in action at the 4 Nations Face-off.

Team Canada - featuring captain Sidney Crosby - and Team Sweden - featuring forward Rickard Rakell and defenseman Erik Karlsson - will kick off the tournament Wednesday night for the first head-to-head matchup in round-robin play.

Team USA - led by Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan with the help of assistant coach David Quinn - and Team Finland will play their first game on Thursday.

And, here at The Hockey News - Pittsburgh Penguins, we are here to supply you with some bold predictions for the 4 Nations Face-off - for Penguins players and for the tournament as a whole.

Championship game: Team USA over Team Canada, 5-4 (OT)

Tournament points leader: Nathan MacKinnon, CAN (eight points)

Stat line prediction for Crosby: one goal, four assists, five points

Although Crosby will still be over point-per-game for the tournament - and I do predict Canada will play in four games - there are several reasons why I don't think he will produce as much as players like McDavid and MacKinnon.

For one, Crosby appears to be playing on MacKinnon's second-line wing, a position he hasn't played in 20 years. Also - although Crosby is participating in the tournament - questions around the health of his left arm remain, and I wonder if the move to wing has anything to do with the injury nagging in faceoffs, shooting, and more. And, at the end of the day, MacKinnon and McDavid will likely be the ones getting the most touches on the power play, even if Crosby is on it. 

Nonetheless, five points in four games? That's still a great showing from Captain Canada.

Stat line prediction for Karlsson: no goals, three assists, three points

Karlsson is a very gifted offensive defenseman, there is a lot of talent on the Swedish blue line. And, even though he does not appear to be working on the first power play unit, he is still slated to work on a defensive pairing alongside two-way specialist Mattias Ekholm.

This should bode very well for Karlsson being a point-per-game player in this tournament.

Combine Ekholm's ability in his own zone with Karlsson's offensive mastery, and this could be a very good pairing for Sweden. In fact, I'm not sure there's a better fit out there for Karlsson on the left side than Ekholm. Karlsson will still see some power play minutes with a formidable second unit as well - which includes a familiar face.

Stat line prediction for Rakell: two goals, two assists, four points

I think Rakell is going to enjoy a really impressive tournament for Team Sweden - even if he wasn't originally on the roster. 

Not only will he be seeing some power play time with Karlsson on that second unit, he also has some advantageous things going for him five-on-five.

It should certainly help to play on a top line with, arguably, the team's best forward in William Nylander. Nylander is second in the NHL - only to Leon Draisaitl's 40 - in goals with 33, and he has 55 points in 55 games.

Even though Mika Zibanejad is having a down year, he's still a good playmaking center and should benefit from two snipers on his line, too. 

All in all, Rakell should be in a great position to produce during this tournament - and I think he will in Sweden's three games.

Championship game: Team Canada defeats Team USA, 4-2

Tournament points leader: Connor McDavid (12 points)

Stat line prediction for Crosby: one goal, five assists, six points

It's been a long time coming. Fans will finally see at least two of the Nova Scotia boys skate together, as Crosby will play alongside MacKinnon - and, who knows, Brad Marchand may join them at some point as well. Considering MacKinnon is one of the leading scorers in the NHL, and Marchand is looking to bounce back from a rough year with the Bruins, these three will do everything they can to help Canada win games.

This may be their only chance to make magic wearing the Maple Leaf at an international event, so expect the Nova Scotia kids to have a great showing in Montreal and Boston.

Stat line prediction for Karlsson: zero goals, one assist, one point

Even though Karlsson has been a point-per-game player the last two times he's worn a Tre Kronor sweater, he's currently minus-14 in the NHL, which means that playing defense is not his priority. However, with each team stacking their lineups with the best players, getting points won't be easy unless he finds some space on the power play.

Despite having two top goalies, Sweden will have their hands full against the North American teams, which means they need everything they can get from Karlsson. However, it will be a quiet tournament for him.

Stat line prediction for Rakell: one goal, zero assists, one points

Rakell has been on a tear since being snubbed from the Sweden lineup. But now that he's made the trip as a last-minute substitution, he's only got one good linemate in Nylander. Their center, Zibanejad, is having a rough season on Broadway and likely won't find his game in at this tournament.

Just like the MLB Home Run Derby, here's hoping that Rakell doesn't lose his momentum with a quiet tournament because there's a chance that Sweden's top line doesn't get enough goals against some of the stronger tandems on opposing teams.