Random Thoughts after USA vs Sweden in the “4 Nations Face-Off”

SportsRantNY’s unpaid intern attended Tuesday night’s game at a fraction of the price that Thursday night’s championship game between border rivals USA and Canada will cost. Here’s some random thoughts.

Sweden vs USA was the only game in the tournament that didn’t have any true meaning as the finals match up was already set. Clearly, the level of play and intensity from the Americans dropped a notch, but it was still a notch above regular season play. The skill level was still on full display and one player who really stood out was New Jersey Devils forward Jesper Bratt from Sweden. His speed and ability to stick handle in tight places was just as spectacular as his goal.

I hate to say it but Boston’s TD Garden is pretty impressive. Much more of a big city feel compared to Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center. Large corridors with great food options. The only downside was sitting directly below 16 Celtics World Championship Banners.

I remain convinced that there are zero reasons for the New York Rangers to trade Chris Kreider, who scored USA’s only goal. After sitting out the first two games, he seamlessly fit in at the “best-on-best” tournament. Not surprising considering his playoff pedigree. He remains an elite penalty killer, elite in front of the net on the power-play, an example for younger players with his workout regimes and an all-time Ranger. With the salary cap rising each of the next 3 years, his $6.5 cap hit will only represent 6.25% of the team’s total cap in 2026-27, the final year of his contract.

Regardless of what happens in Thursday night’s final, the “4 Nations Face Off” will go down as a tremendous success. The fact that the NBA’s new All-Star Game format flopped at the same time, was a rare win for the NHL in their pursuit of national attention. This is just the beginning as next winter the NHL will pause for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.