The 4 Nations Face-Off was a rousing success. There is no other way to put it. The NHL took a chance on a tournament with NHL players representing the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Finland, and it dominated the ratings. Even in the NHL's wildest dreams, it didn't think this tournament would be this successful. They tried something similar in 2016 with the World Cup of Hockey, and it wasn't nearly this popular. This season, an invigorated American team really helped the audience the NHL is looking for to get into this tournament.
New Jersey Devils Tom Fitzgerald was paying special attention to this tournament. Not only does he have Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Erik Haula representing their countries, but Fitzgerald is an American former hockey player who has represented his country on multiple occassions. He's also scouting for trade candidates, and there were multiple in this tournament.
While the NHL learned many lessons in this tournament, the Devils learned some lessons too.
1. Jesper Bratt is the truth
Sweden unfortunately had nothing to play for when they played the United States on Monday. Canada beat Finland in regulation, and it eliminated them from the tournament. Sweden still played for pride, and they won the game. Jesper Bratt scored, and he was named player of the game in Sweden's only win.
Bratt was the best Devils player in the 4 Nations tournament. He finished with two points, which is as many or more than any other Devils' player in this tournament. Bratt even looked the part, never really feeling out of place when he was on the ice.
It's not like the Swedes were knocked out of the arena. They lost two games in overtime to Finland and Canada. We do wish he took more shots (three in three games), but he made one of his shots count against the Americans, and he impacted the game across the board.