The 4 Nations Face-Off is in the books, and Team Canada went home with the gold. The tournament was incredible, and the NHL deserves credence for putting on the best-possible show for what was essentially the most important exhibition in decades for the sport of hockey. The players put everything out there for this tournament, which was the first "best-on-best" tournament since 2016.
Something just felt bigger about this tournament, and it showed with how the players put everything on the line. They didn't take their foot off the gas, the hits were hard, and players were putting injuries aside to make sure they stayed on the ice. In the end, no New Jersey Devils player can claim victory, but there are some that did better than others.
Jack Hughes, Team USA
4 Nations Face-Off Final Grade: C
Going into Thursday's final, we were defending Jack Hughes' play in the tournament. He wasn't bad while playing alongside Auston Matthews and Jake Guentzel, but fans expected more. He had just one assist in the round-robin portion of the tournament. In the championship, Hughes didn't have a good game. He wasn't bad, but there were moments that didn't look great. He was downgraded in line for Matt Boldy, who ended up looking like the worst player on the ice. Still, Mike Sullivan kept Hughes on the third line, and one could tell he was trying to force it with his limited ice time. He wanted to win the game by himself. It didn't work, and he ended up on the ice for Connor McDavid's game-winner in overtime.
Jesper Bratt, Team Sweden
4 Nations Face-Off Final Grade: A
Jesper Bratt, on the other hand, was everything Team Sweden could have asked for. While it seemed like their coaching staff needed Bratt to prove himself, he basically did that. The coaching decisions probably cost Sweden a spot in the Finals, as they lost in overtime both games despite putting out some strange line combinations. Against Canada, Bratt was clearly tentative, but he did have an assist. Sweden did a lot of “surviving” against the Canadians, and they probably felt lucky to get a point. Against the U.S., Bratt had a goal and was named player of the game in Sweden’s only win of the tournament. Bratt was good for most of this tourney, and that gets you an “A” in best-on-best formatting.
Erik Haula
4 Nations Face-Off Final Grade: B
This one is obviously graded on a curve, as Erik Haula had no points this tournament, but he wasn’t playing a role where points were expected. Haula’s job was to shut down opposing lines, and he did a pretty good job of that. The Devils need more offense from Haula, but the Finnish team did not. They have some really good players at the top of the lineup. So, for playing his role and playing it well, Haula gets a “B.”