I’m backing two Americans to score in the USA’s opening game against Finland.
The latest: Team USA has a stacked offence paired with a strong defence and elite goaltending. I predict a big win for the U.S. and I’m taking both Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk to pot goals.
Check out the latest Finland vs. USA 4 Nations Face-Off props for Feb. 13.
Finland vs. USA props
Best Bet: Matthews anytime goalscorer (+123)
Matthews isn’t on the same historic scoring pace he was last season, but he’s still an elite goalscorer.
He has 20 goals in 40 games which over 82 games would be a 41-goal pace. That seems low for Matthews but most players could only dream of scoring 40 in a season.
And I think this is the best matchup at the tournament. Finland has a good offence but with the recent injury to Miro Heiskenen, the defence is a step behind.
While other nations roster elite blueliners, Finland’s unit will be led by Esa Lindell and Niko Mikkola.
They are good defensive defencemen, but there’s some skill missing on the backend.
Matthews will centre the second line and play on a power play that includes the likes of Jack Hughes, Jack Eichel and Adam Fox, some of hockey’s best passers.
Key stat: Since the start of last season, Matthews ranks first in the NHL with 89 goals.
Quick pick
Tkachuk anytime goalscorer (+245): The fifth and final piece of that PP unit is Tkachuk.
He’s sure to play the role of a net-front presence and with those pieces I mentioned before, the big-bodied forward could be in line for an easy tap-in or rebound opportunity on Wednesday.
Tkachuk’ll play on the first line, as well, with Eichel and Kyle Connor. Both of whom are tied for sixth in the NHL with 69 points this season.
There isn’t much to go off with these best-on-best international tournaments happening so irregularly so I’m tending to go off what the lines are.
And Tkachuk plays in a prime spot to do some damage and he has some fantastic value on his goalscorer prop.
4 Nations Face-Off picks made at 1:09 p.m. ET on 02/11/2025.
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.