The inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off will begin Wednesday with a game between Canada and Sweden. It's the first time hockey's best will go toe to toe in an international competition in nearly a decade.
Canada is the betting favorite to win the tournament with +135 odds (42.6% implied probability) at theScore Bet/ESPN Bet. The Canadians claimed the 2016 World Cup of Hockey - the last best-on-best competition.
Canada's stacked roster is headlined by Connor McDavid - the favorite to lead the tournament in points - Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, and Cale Makar. However, there are question marks in net. Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill, and Sam Montembeault form the weakest group of goalies in the tourney.
Goaltending concerns aren't keeping bettors away, though. Canada has received 51% of the bets and 66% of the handle (money wagered) placed on the tournament winner.
The USA is a close second favorite at +160, with Sweden (+425) and Finland (+900) rounding out the four-team field. The U.S. is the second-most backed team with 33% of the bets and 30% of the handle.
The Americans are led by Auston Matthews, Jack Hughes, and brothers Matthew and Brady Tkachuk. Their stout offensive lineup is backed by the best goalies in the tournament, with heavy Vezina favorite Connor Hellebuyck the likely starter.
Matthews is favored to lead the tournament in goals. His +650 odds (13.3% implied probability) are ahead of McDavid (+900), Brayden Point (+900), and Sam Reinhart (+900).
McDavid is also the favorite to win tournament MVP, which will more than likely be awarded to a player on the winning team.
MVP odds
| Player (Team) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Connor McDavid (CAN) | +600 |
| Nathan MacKinnon (CAN) | +800 |
| Auston Matthews (USA) | +1000 |
| Connor Hellebuyck (USA) | +1200 |
| Cale Makar (CAN) | +1500 |
| Jack Eichel (USA) | +1500 |
| Jack Hughes (USA) | +1500 |
| Aleksander Barkov (FIN) | +2000 |
| Kyle Connor (USA) | +2000 |
| Mitch Marner (CAN) | +2000 |
| Sam Reinhart (CAN) | +2000 |
| Sidney Crosby (CAN) | +2000 |
| William Nylander (SWE) | +2000 |
Each team will play three round-robin games before the top two squads meet in the final Feb. 20.
Lines are out for all six round-robin games.
| Date | Game |
|---|---|
| Feb. 12 | Canada (-250) vs. Sweden (+210) |
| Feb. 13 | USA (-360) vs. Finland (+280) |
| Feb. 15 | Sweden (-180) vs. Finland (+140) |
| Canada (-120) vs. USA (-110) | |
| Feb. 17 | Canada (-375) vs. Finland (+260) |
| USA (-220) vs. Sweden (+170) |
Canada is favored in all three games, most notably as a very slight -120 favorite against the United States.
Wednesday's contest between Canada and Sweden starts at 8 p.m. ET from the Bell Centre in Montreal.
