The 2025 4 Nations Face-Off kicked off with a dramatic start for the St. Louis Blues players and Team Canada, whom they represent. The Atmosphere in the Bell Centre was electric even before puck drop, with Montreal native Mario Lemieux making a rare appearance for the opening ceremony. Team Canada started hot, with a special link-up between McDavid, Crosby, and Mackinnon on the powerplay to give them an early lead. Canada held Sweden without a shot for a large portion of the period, with their first recorded shot coming with 2:44 remaining in the first. Sweden did well to adjust and make it a competitive game, forcing it to overtime, where Jordan Binnington made a couple of clutch saves to keep Canada in it before Mitch Marner scored the winner with 3:54 remaining. With the first game now done, how did the only two Blues representatives at the 4 Nations Face-Off do?
Jordan Binnington
Binnington is a polarizing figure around the NHL. Many believed he should not have made the team in the first place, and many thought that he should not have been made the starter, but like him or not, when the team needed him in overtime, he showed up when it counted. In the first, he was not really tested, facing three shots in the period, all coming with less than three minutes left. When Team Sweden came back onto the ice for the second, it looked like a fire was lit from under them. Overall, I would not say Binnington played outstanding in game one. The first goal came off a moving screen from a tough angle, but getting beat over the glove shoulder in the middle of the net could have been one he stopped. The second goal is probably the one he wants back. He saw the puck the whole way and got beat low blocker. The third goal looked more like a team issue than a Binnington issue. Four players got caught up high, leaving the two Blues players back there and a good pass by Jesper Bratt to find Joel Eriksson Ek backdoor with a wide-open net. However, Binnington did rebound late in the third and in overtime to help keep Canada in the game. Overall, I still believe it is his crease to lose.
Colton Parayko
Parayko's performance in Canada's victory against Sweden was nothing earth-shattering. He played decently well, and considering Canada lost Shea Theodore to a wrist injury early in the game, it was not under the best circumstances. Parayko was left to dry trying to deal with a two-on-one on the tying goal of the game and had a giveaway or two that he would probably like back, but besides that, he played what I thought was a solid defensive game. He did look tired near the end of the game, but that is normal, considering the speed at which the game was played and the fact that they played with five defensemen for a large portion of it. Overall, Parayko had a solid performance, but with Travis Sanheim replacing Theodore in the lineup, Parayko could potentially be taking on an increased role and be relied upon more as the tournament progresses.