4 Nations Face-Off goaltending preview: Breaking down how each team stands
Love it or hate it, the 4 Nations Face-Off kicks off this week after nine years of waiting for best-on-best international hockey.
For the most part, the 12 goaltenders initially named to their respective rosters have remained healthy. The only pre-tournament change was Sweden swapping out Jacob Markstrom for Samuel Ersson. But with Linus Ullmark expected to be the No. 1 anyway, it wasn’t a crushing blow for the squad.
So, while many quality players have had to back out leading into the tournament, the game’s most flexible and athletic men have managed to keep themselves largely intact – for better or for worse, depending on what team you cheer for.
The expectation is that we won’t see goalie rotations throughout the tourney. With such a short schedule and no back-to-backs, there are no concerns about goalies getting overworked, especially with just one travel day.
Will having elite-level talent in front take away from any potential deficiencies for any of the goaltenders? Will the best truly like the best? Here’s a breakdown of every team’s goaltending situation ahead of the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, taking place in Montreal and Boston from Feb. 12-20.
Canada
Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill, Samuel Montembeault
Canada has three goalies in the top five in goals saved above expected since 4 Nations rosters were submitted on Dec. 2 – Darcy Kuemper, Logan Thompson and MacKenzie Blackwood. Not one of them will be in Montreal or Boston, though. And it’s not a “hindsight is 20/20” thing, either – the trio has been in the top 10 for most of the season, and all deserved heavy consideration back in December, too.
If you’re curious how Canada’s three actual goalies shape up, Sam Montembeault leads the way in ninth, Adin Hill is 28th at 5.57 and Binnington is 65th out of 78. Not ideal. Montembeault has been the best of the three goalies this year. While he struggled back in January, he has a legitimate case to be Canada’s No. 1. All three have played for Canada internationally over the past five years. Still, only two have made it to the Stanley Cup final since 2019 – Binnington and Hill. Will coach Jon Cooper look to lean on that experience over someone like Montembeault?
If so, Binnington has the worst numbers of the three, but he’s having to do a lot of heavy lifting on the Blues this year. He was also Canada’s starter at the most recent World Championship (Canada failed to medal), so there might be some loyalty there. Just the overall sense around Canada makes it seem like it will be one of those two getting the starter’s gig, with Binnington and his experience as a long-time starter giving him the edge. For now, he’ll start against Sweden.
Canada’s goaltending isn’t good. Statistically, it’s been better than Finland’s, but it’s well below Sweden or the United States. But we’ve seen all three of these goalies get hot and take control – all you need is just one of them to play just a few good games behind some high-end talent, and you’re set.
Finland
Juuse Saros, Kevin Lankinen, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Finland has had the worst injury luck of any team, losing defenders Miro Heiskanen, Rasmus Ristolainen and Jani Hakanpaa due to injury. For a team with the worst defensive depth out of anyone, losing two of their best options and a hard-hitting defensive defender was an absolutely incredible blow.
And it doesn’t help that the team’s goaltending hasn’t been good, either. All three of Finland’s puckstoppers – Saros, Lankinen and Luukkonen – are in the bottom 15 in goals saved above expected since Jan. 1. Saros, in particular, has the worst of any active NHL goalie. Luukkonen has racked up a bunch of wins, but the stats haven’t been too kind in his favor.
Saros has struggled the most of three this season, which is concerning given he’s the team’s No. 1. But it doesn’t seem to matter who’s in net – Nashville just can’t win. Regardless, Saros has been the only consistent No. 1 over the past half-decade of the three and can absolutely shine under pressure. You want a hot hand at a tournament like this, and while that’s not Saros, this mid-season showcase – a reset, if you will – could be so big for him.
Saros will have his work cut out for him, but he’s used to having shaky defense in front of him. If it starts ugly, though, it’ll be interesting to see if Lankinen – who has been the best of the three this year – gets the call to turn things around.
Sweden
Linus Ullmark, Filip Gustavsson, Samuel Ersson
After losing Jacob Markstrom to an injury a few weeks ago, it was good to see Ullmark return to the Senators in time for this event. Ottawa played quite well without him, but he has been a standout throughout most of the season. He has played just two games since returning from an injury that kept him out for over a month, and he lost both of them. But he was extremely busy, stopping 77 of 84 shots sent his way. In fact, he routinely faces over 30 shots in a game and allowed just seven goals in a seven-game stretch prior to his injury. When he’s at the top of his game, he’s an NHL star.
If he’s not at his full potential, though, Gustavsson is a fantastic weapon to have in the arsenal. He’s having a breakthrough season with the Minnesota Wild and can easily take over the crease if needed. The 26-year-old had a fantastic showing at the World Championship last spring – his first time donning the crease at the men’s tournament. He has been so dominant throughout his international career, with just three losses in 19 IIHF games. So the Swedish federation knows what he’s capable of if they need to go to him.
Ersson likely won’t dress in any of the games as the third netminder. But the other two are more than capable of stealing the show and giving Sweden a chance to win every single night. That’s one heck of a spot to be in, and a great sign ahead of the Olympics.
United States
Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, Jeremy Swayman
Look just about anywhere that’s posting pre-tournament predictions and almost all of them has Hellebuyck finishing as the top goaltender. And given the way he’s playing in the NHL – either leading or near the top of every major statistical category – it seems the crease is his. Hellebuyck doesn’t have a ton of international experience, but he’s 9-1 all-time with USA. Most notably, he was named to the World Championship all-star team in 2015 before he ever sniffed the NHL.
But in Winnipeg, we already know he’s been one of the best goaltenders over the past decade and is a near shoo-in to become a Hockey Hall of Fame member one day. If the Jets end up winning the Presidents’ Trophy, Hellebuyck will almost definitely receive significant Hart Trophy votes as the NHL’s MVP> This will be the biggest stage he has ever served as starter in internationally, though, and he’s ready for the challenge.
Having Oettinger and Swayman as backups just makes everything so much sweeter. Oettinger has had his ups and downs but is still on pace to crack 40 wins for the first time in his NHL career. Swayman started the year off slow, and the Bruins haven’t been that great in front of him. But when he’s thriving, he’s unstoppable.
It’s an embarrassment of riches to have this many quality goaltenders on one international team. USA’s goaltending is the best in the tournament, no doubt. If Hellebuyck falters, they’ve got two capable backups ready to steal the show.
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