U.S.-Canada hockey game starts with 3 fights in 9 seconds
The 2025 4 Nations Face-Off in Montreal on Saturday pitted the United States against Canada in an elite hockey matchup that kicked off with three fights among rivals on each side in the first 9 seconds.
Just after the puck dropped, and two seconds into the game, Matthew Tkachuk of the U.S. squad and Brandon Hagel of Team Canada dropped their gloves and went at it, broadcast video of the game showed.
Then Brady Tkachuk, brother of Matthew, and Canada’s Sam Bennett, a forward who plays for the Florida Panthers, went at it.
Finally, New York Rangers forward J.T. Miller and Colton Parayko, a Canadian who’s an alternate captain for the St. Louis Blues, exchanged not-so pleasantries.
Miller was penalized for his part, and the game went on.
Before the puck had dropped and the players had scuffled, it was the Canadian fans who showed their displeasure with Team USA, booing during “The Star-Spangled Banner” and as the American players were introduced.
This comes amid President Donald Trump’s remarks that Canada should become a U.S. state — remarks many Canadians find deeply insulting — and as the Trump administration threatens tariffs on its neighbor to the north.
The tournament also features teams from Finland and Sweden and is being played this month at Montreal’s Bell Center and Boston’s TD Garden.
Dennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
Rebecca Cohen is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
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USA vs. Canada prediction, odds, line, time: 2025 4 Nations Face-Off picks from expert on 35-11 run
The 2025 4 Nations Face-Off is a new event this year as the NHL has temporarily replaced its All-Star Weekend with this four-team tournament featuring Canada, USA, Sweden and Finland. The teams are in the round-robin portion of the tournament with the top two advancing to the Final next Thursday. USA leads the standings with three points thanks to a 6-1 regulation win against Finland. Canada is second with two points after it needed overtime to beat Sweden, which picked up one point. A regulation win by USA clinches a spot in the Final for the Americans. Star defenseman Cale Makar (illness) is considered a game-time decision for Canada.
Opening faceoff at Bell Centre in Montreal is set for 8 p.m. ET on Saturday. Both teams are listed at -110 (risk $110 to win $100) in the USA vs. Canada odds, while the over/under is 5.5. Canada is -1.5 (+210) on the puck line. Before making any Canada vs. USA odds, be sure to see the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off picks from SportsLine’s Matt Severance.
Severance enters the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off as SportsLine’s No. 1 NHL expert, going 35-11-4 on NHL puck-line picks, returning more than $1,800 for $100 players. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
Now, he has set his sights on USA vs. Canada and just locked in his 4 Nations Face-Off picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the latest odds for Canada vs. USA:
The Americans have jumped into the role of tournament favorites following a dominant opening win over Finland. USA held a 2-1 lead entering the third and then the Americans found the net three times in less than three minutes to open that period, building an insurmountable 5-1 lead and then finishing it off for the 6-1 victory. Brothers Matthew and Brady Tkachuk both scored twice.
USA appears to have an edge in the net with dominant goalie Connor Hellebuyck between the pipes. After giving up one early goal against Finland, he stopped the final 18 shots of the game. The Winnipeg Jets goalie, who is the favorite to win a second straight Vezina Trophy, has a 2.07 GAA this season, ranking first in the NHL, and a .925 save percentage, ranking second in the NHL. See which team to back at SportsLine.
The Canadians weren’t as dominant in their opener, but they’ll be tough to beat on their home soil in this setting. The Canadians are also 10-4 all-time against Team USA in international competition. Both rosters are loaded, but the top-six forwards for Canada — Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Mark Stone, San Reinhart and Mitch Marner — are particularly dangerous.
“Crosby, especially, is just a whirling dervish, even at age 37, when he plays for country,” Severance said. “You can just see the energy with that Canadian flag on the front of his jersey.” See which team to back at SportsLine.
Severance is going Over 5.5 goals. He’s also found a critical x-factor that has him jumping on one side of the money line. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins USA vs. Canada, and what critical x-factor do you need to know about? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Canada vs. USA money line to jump on, all from the top NHL expert who is on a 35-11 roll.
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SportsLine’s Matt Severance has locked in his Team Canada vs. Team USA picks for the 4 Nations Face-Off game on Saturday
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Makar game-time decision for Canada against U.S. at 4 Nations Face-Off
Defenseman missed practice Friday with illness prior to showdown vs. U.S.
© Getty Images
MONTREAL — Cale Makar was on the ice for Canada’s morning skate Saturday and will be a game-time decision for its showdown with the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off at Bell Centre (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS).
Makar did not practice Friday because of an illness, leaving Canada with five healthy defensemen. Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley was in attendance Saturday but was not permitted to be on the ice at the same time as Makar.
“I’m feeling a little bit better; we’ll see how it goes this afternoon and stuff,” Makar said. “Yeah, not great, but better today so we’ll see how it progresses and see how we’re doing.
“For me, at the end of the day I’ve got to make sure I do what’s right for myself. I don’t want to be putting these guys in a tough spot, so it was great that we were able to bring Harley in, at least have that option if we need it. But again, I’m feeling better today and we’ll see how the afternoon progresses. I’m obviously going to do everything I possibly can to play in this one.”
Forward Travis Konecny skated as a defenseman during practice Friday.
“Trust me, it won’t be a situation … we’ll never put Cale in harm’s way,” Canada coach Jon Cooper said. “If he is in the lineup, he will be good to go.”
Canada already is without Shea Theodore for the rest of the best-on-best international tournament because of an upper-body injury sustained during a 4-3 overtime win against Sweden on Wednesday.
The Vegas Golden Knights defenseman was injured at 2:33 of the second period on a hit from Sweden forward Adrian Kempe, forcing Canada to play the rest of the game with five defensemen.
Canada, Finland, Sweden, United States go head-to-head Feb. 12-20 in Montreal, Boston
“Having Shea go down is obviously a big loss,” Cooper said Friday. “A fantastic player having a fantastic season in Vegas. It definitely changes the dynamic for the back end. I just feel bad for him losing out on that injury, but ‘Sanny’ is a great player and there are so many great defensemen in Canada that aren’t even here.
“So, it’s like the regular season. Most teams talk about it: Next-guy-in mentality. I think between the coaching staff, systems, communication and all that, that’s where our focus has to be because we don’t have a lot of games or reps together, so just keying into that. Everyone is a great player. Reading off one another is the big thing.”
Makar had three blocked shots and led all Canada skaters in time on ice Wednesday with 28:06. He is on Canada’s top defense pair with Colorado Avalanche teammate Devon Toews and also is on Canada’s top power-play unit.
“I think he was pretty sick last game, [but] he didn’t look it,” said foward Nathan MacKinnon, Makar’s teammate in Colorado. “He’s so mentally tough, nothing fazes that guy. He’s the last guy I’m worried about.
“He’s the best defenseman in the world. Him at 80 (percent) is better than almost everyone anyway. He is going to play hard, and I expect nothing but great out of him.”
The U.S.-Canada game Saturday will cap a rivalry doubleheader that began with Finland facing Sweden at Bell Centre.
