3 Takeaways From Finland’s 6-1 Loss to USA – The Hockey Writers 4 Nations Face-off Latest News, Analysis & More

Not a great start. Finland lost their opening game of the 4 Nations Face-Off to the United States 6-1, placing them in sole possession of last place. The Finns hung in there for the first two periods, actually scoring the first goal of the contest, but the Americans took control quickly. What were some takeaways for Finland?

Finland’s Lack of Puck-Moving Defense Proves Detrimental

Miro Heiskanen went down with an injury for the Dallas Stars a couple of weeks before the 4 Nations Face-Off. Losing one of the best defensemen in the sport on an already thin blue line went about as well as you’d think—not at all.

Related: Guide to the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off

When taking a quick look at Finland’s defense, one thing sticks out: the lack of puck-movers. Anyone can limit scoring opportunities within the defensive zone, but not anyone can come away with the puck and move it up the ice. Every team in this tournament has the ammo to do this pretty easily, except for the Finns. The final score is not shocking.

Now, Finland had some good exit sequences. One even led to their only goal. The unfortunate reality, though, is that it’s pretty hard to replicate regularly, given the talent of their roster. The majority of the team struggled in this area, and no one really stood out positively.

FINLAND STRIKES FIRST!!! 🇫🇮

Henri Jokiharju opens the scoring! #4Nations | @BuffaloSabres
pic.twitter.com/MXZiDfjUop

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) February 14, 2025

Even in a tournament with the best of the best, goals are scored on the rush quite frequently. Creating in-zone opportunities is easier when Auston Matthews is on the ice, complemented by Jack Hughes and Jake Guentzel, but rushes still dominate. Finland being unable to get going in this department is not the fault of the coaching staff, nor is it an underperforming issue—they’re just asking too much from players who can’t reasonably provide what the team needs.

It’s important to note that Finland was flat-out beaten in this one, as puck-moving doesn’t account for two power-play goals against. Still, the United States played more confidently on the forecheck because the transition game from the Finns was non-existent. When a team can’t make you pay for playing aggressively on offense, you come at them like a freight train—the Americans understood the assignment.

Finland’s Special Teams Will Need Work

The little things add up. Finland’s power play didn’t feel threatening enough, so they couldn’t take advantage of their two attempts. On the flip side, they sacrificed two goals in four shorthanded situations. Talent gaps are minimized when a man is in the box, so losing the special teams battle 2-0 is something that will need work.

With their talent limitations aside, Finland can control how it performs when up or down a man. Their five-forward setup on the first power-play unit made sense, but re-entering the zone was a complete nightmare on their first attempt once they lost possession. When scoring chances are hard to come by at 5-on-5, the power play can help compensate for that. But it didn’t here, and the Finns were blown out.

The penalty kill, too, could’ve been better. A long-range Matthew Tkachuk shot beat Juuse Saros, which is hardly the unit’s fault, but they’re operating at 50%. It’s not like the guy in the net got much help.

If Finland’s special teams can simply be a push, meaning they score as much as they allow, some tighter games against Sweden and Canada may be in their future. If not, just forget about it.

Finland Needs Better Goaltending

Saros let six goals past him—it was not his brightest performance. Whether he’s between the pipes in Finland’s next contest or not, the goaltending has to be better. Again, there are limitations at 5-on-5, so you have to make up for it—the crease is one way for this club to do that.

Blaming Saros for the defeat would be silly, as there’s only so much a goaltender can do, but he didn’t help. An out-of-this-world goalie game can change a blowout into a tight contest, which is what the Finns should be striving for. They could really use that boost.

Saros has shown brilliance in the past, but his 2024-25 campaign with the Nashville Predators has been one to forget numbers-wise. However, we have seen him consistently take control of games in the past. While Finland may turn their attention to Kevin Lankinen or Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, it’s important to acknowledge Saros’ upside here. This trio has talent, but they must show it.

Up next, Finland will take on Sweden at 1 p.m. EST on Saturday, Feb. 15. It will take place at the Bell Centre.