4 Nations Face-Off Blog: Keep Up With the Preds at the Tournament

The time for best-on-best competition has finally arrived once more.

Predators goaltender - and Finnish native - Juuse Saros, along with Preds forwards and Sweden natives Filip Forsberg and Gustav Nyquist, will be on the ice at the 4 Nations Face-Off over the next week in Montreal and Boston to skate in a unique tournament the likes of which haven’t been seen in years.

Sweden and Finland, along with the best players from the United States and Canada, will battle for the title in a four-team competition that pits the top professional hockey talent in the world against each other for the first time since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and 2014 Winter Olympics.

Keep tabs on Saros, Forsberg, Nyqust and Preds Head Athletic Trainer - and Team USA trainer - Kevin Morley as they vie for the title of top nation.

February 12:

Forsberg, Nyquist and Sweden opened the tournament with a thriller against Canada with the Canadians ultimately prevailing by a 4-3 final in overtime. Neither of the Preds found the scoresheet, but one thing was clear after night one - this is going to be one impressive tournament.

February 13:

Saros started for Finland and made 26 saves in their first action of the tournament, but the United States pulled away in the third period to top the Finns by a 6-1 final on Thursday night in Montreal. All four clubs will return to game action on Saturday when Forsberg, Nyquist and Sweden face Saros and Finland at 12 p.m. CT on ABC, followed by the highly anticipated USA vs. Canada matchup at 7 p.m. CT on ABC.

February 15:

What a day of hockey. The Swedes and Finns put forth an entertaining effort in the first outing, and it was former Preds forward Mikael Granlund who gave Finland a 4-3 overtime win on Saturday afternoon over Forsberg, Nyquist and Sweden. In the nightcap, the Americans prevailed over Canada by a 3-1 count in a game that featured three fights in the first nine seconds, with USA ultimately remaining perfect in the tournament. The 4 Nations now shifts to Boston with two more games on Monday before the championship on Thursday.

February 17:

Saros, Forsberg and Nyquist all saw their time at the 4 Nations Face-Off come to a close on Monday as both Sweden and Finland were eliminated from a potential spot in the championship game. However, a pair of Preds did make contributions for their countries on the way out.

First, Saros stopped all 14 shots he faced in relief for Finland in their 5-3 loss to Canada on Monday afternoon in Boston. In the nightcap, Nyquist scored his first and only goal of the tournament to help the Swedes to a 2-1 victory over the United States. The U.S. - including Preds Head Athletic Trainer Kevin Morley - will face Canada on Thursday in the championship contest, while the Preds player representatives will now head back to Nashville ahead of the NHL season resuming on Saturday as the Predators host Colorado.