Welcome to Instant Reaction — 4 Nations Face-Off edition! Typically, we give our Instant Reaction to <a class="text-accent" href="https://canucksarmy.com/combinations" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Vancouver Canucks</a> games, but since those aren’t happening right now, we thought we’d do the same for the 4 Nations Face-Off.
So it appears we might see more Canucks than just Elias Pettersson get into <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/lines-starters-stream-info-more-kevin-lankinens-team-finland-takes-usa-4-nations">game action at this tournament after all</a>! Let&#8217;s dive into this one.
Joel Armia took the game&#8217;s first penalty early when he was called for cross-checking. Despite a pretty dominant start at 5v5, the USA power play failed to register a shot on goal and struggled to even get set up.
The US appeared back in the driver&#8217;s seat, but it was Finland that opened the scoring after capitalizing on an odd-man rush after the US defence pinched.
Henri Jokiharju let go of a shot that Connor Hellebuyck likely should have had to make it 1-0 Finland. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
FINLAND GETS THE FIRST GOAL OF THE GAME 😳 <a href="https://t.co/QioOvMDIDS">pic.twitter.com/QioOvMDIDS</a>
&mdash; B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) <a href="https://twitter.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1890213976157417661?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Team USA struck back quickly, as Brady Tkachuk stayed with his own rebound and banked a shot in off Saros to tie this one up.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
BRADY TKACHUK TIES THE GAME 1-1 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/vmCprL8aad">pic.twitter.com/vmCprL8aad</a>
&mdash; B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) <a href="https://twitter.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1890215955533320463?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
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1-1. 
Finland got their first power play of the game after Noah Hanifin tripped up Patrik Laine.
The Fins had good movement on the power play, and even got some decent looks, but the US PK held them off this time around. This was thanks in part to JT Miller making a beautiful kick save on the goal line.
In the second period, neither team scored for most of it, but my goodness it became evident that Team USA&#8217;s blueline needed to stop pinching.
Finland had multiple odd man rushes in the second period, and although not all of them even resulted in a shot on goal, the Americans were playing with fire.
Late in the second, Brock Faber let go of a point shot that Matt Boldy deflected past Saros to push USA&#8217;s lead to 2-1.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
BROCK FABER WRISTER, MATT BOLDY DEFLECTION 🚨 <a href="https://t.co/6bfKe2j7HX">pic.twitter.com/6bfKe2j7HX</a>
&mdash; B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) <a href="https://twitter.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1890233527993516514?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
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With 2.2 seconds to go, Olli Maatta tripped up Auston Matthews to give the Americans a power play heading into the third.
Matthew Tkachuk caught Saros by surprise to open the third period, as his wrister from the point deflected off a Finnish stick to make it 3-1. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
MATTHEW TKACHUK&#39;S TURN&#8230; BOTH TKACHUK BROTHERS HAVE SCORED FOR TEAM USA 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/AxfFmMWW1B">pic.twitter.com/AxfFmMWW1B</a>
&mdash; B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) <a href="https://twitter.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1890239538892578852?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Back at 5v5, USA kept coming, as Auston Matthews found Jake Guentzel off the rush to put the Americans in the driver&#8217;s seat.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
2 GOALS IN 26 SECONDS FOR TEAM USA 🤯🦅 <a href="https://t.co/DJx47SHaFJ">pic.twitter.com/DJx47SHaFJ</a>
&mdash; B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) <a href="https://twitter.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1890240027306684499?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
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4-1 just like that. 
The US kept coming. Brady Tkachuk with his second of the game.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
THE UNITED STATES OF TKACHUK 🇺🇸
BRADY HAS HIS SECOND OF THE GAME 🚨 <a href="https://t.co/6A2tl3UXaR">pic.twitter.com/6A2tl3UXaR</a>
&mdash; B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) <a href="https://twitter.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1890241185102320045?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
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5-1. 
What a night for the Tkachuk brothers, who were put together on a line just over halfway into the second period. I&#8217;m thinking that line will stick.
How about one more USA goal from a Tkachuk for good measure?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
MATTHEW TKACHUK HAS HIS SECOND GOAL NOW 🤯 <a href="https://t.co/qHpzmZ8Lsv">pic.twitter.com/qHpzmZ8Lsv</a>
&mdash; B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) <a href="https://twitter.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1890245285240090955?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Not a joke, I think it&#8217;s fair to say that Kevin Lankinen should at the very least get the next start. Finland played pretty well in this game, and Saros couldn&#8217;t make a save when they needed him to.
6-1 USA final.
One thing I&#8217;m even more sure of after tonight: USA vs. Canada on Saturday at 5 PM is going to be a hell of a game.
Finland&#8217;s next game is Saturday at 10 AM against rival Sweden. It will be interesting to see if Lankinen or UPL start that game.
What&#8217;s your instant reaction to tonight&#8217;s game? Let us know in the comments section below!
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@daily_faceoff">Daily Faceoff Live</a> is on the road! From February 10th to 20th, we’re bringing you live shows every weekday straight from Four Nations, delivering exclusive coverage, insider analysis, and all the tournament action as it unfolds. Don’t miss a beat—subscribe to the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@daily_faceoff">Daily Faceoff YouTube channel</a> and follow us on social for the latest updates. It’s international hockey, so expect intensity, excitement, and maybe even a little chaos. Stay locked in and catch us live from Four Nations!

Welcome to Instant Reaction — 4 Nations Face-Off edition! Typically, we give our Instant Reaction to <a class="text-accent" href="https://canucksarmy.com/combinations" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Vancouver Canucks</a> games, but since those aren’t happening right now, we thought we’d do the same for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

So it appears we might see more Canucks than just Elias Pettersson get into <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/lines-starters-stream-info-more-kevin-lankinens-team-finland-takes-usa-4-nations">game action at this tournament after all</a>! Let's dive into this one.

Joel Armia took the game's first penalty early when he was called for cross-checking. Despite a pretty dominant start at 5v5, the USA power play failed to register a shot on goal and struggled to even get set up.

The US appeared back in the driver's seat, but it was Finland that opened the scoring after capitalizing on an odd-man rush after the US defence pinched.

Henri Jokiharju let go of a shot that Connor Hellebuyck likely should have had to make it 1-0 Finland. 

https://twitter.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1890213976157417661

Team USA struck back quickly, as Brady Tkachuk stayed with his own rebound and banked a shot in off Saros to tie this one up.

https://twitter.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1890215955533320463

1-1. 

Finland got their first power play of the game after Noah Hanifin tripped up Patrik Laine.

The Fins had good movement on the power play, and even got some decent looks, but the US PK held them off this time around. This was thanks in part to JT Miller making a beautiful kick save on the goal line.

In the second period, neither team scored for most of it, but my goodness it became evident that Team USA's blueline needed to stop pinching.

Finland had multiple odd man rushes in the second period, and although not all of them even resulted in a shot on goal, the Americans were playing with fire.

Late in the second, Brock Faber let go of a point shot that Matt Boldy deflected past Saros to push USA's lead to 2-1.

https://twitter.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1890233527993516514

With 2.2 seconds to go, Olli Maatta tripped up Auston Matthews to give the Americans a power play heading into the third.

Matthew Tkachuk caught Saros by surprise to open the third period, as his wrister from the point deflected off a Finnish stick to make it 3-1. 

https://twitter.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1890239538892578852

Back at 5v5, USA kept coming, as Auston Matthews found Jake Guentzel off the rush to put the Americans in the driver's seat.

https://twitter.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1890240027306684499

4-1 just like that. 

The US kept coming. Brady Tkachuk with his second of the game.

https://twitter.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1890241185102320045

5-1. 

What a night for the Tkachuk brothers, who were put together on a line just over halfway into the second period. I'm thinking that line will stick.

How about one more USA goal from a Tkachuk for good measure?

https://twitter.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1890245285240090955

Not a joke, I think it's fair to say that Kevin Lankinen should at the very least get the next start. Finland played pretty well in this game, and Saros couldn't make a save when they needed him to.

6-1 USA final.

One thing I'm even more sure of after tonight: USA vs. Canada on Saturday at 5 PM is going to be a hell of a game.

Finland's next game is Saturday at 10 AM against rival Sweden. It will be interesting to see if Lankinen or UPL start that game.

What's your instant reaction to tonight's game? Let us know in the comments section below!

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@daily_faceoff"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-138774" src="https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2099/08/Article-727x404-1.png" alt="" width="728" height="405" /></a>

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@daily_faceoff">Daily Faceoff Live</a> is on the road! From February 10th to 20th, we’re bringing you live shows every weekday straight from Four Nations, delivering exclusive coverage, insider analysis, and all the tournament action as it unfolds. Don’t miss a beat—subscribe to the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@daily_faceoff">Daily Faceoff YouTube channel</a> and follow us on social for the latest updates. It’s international hockey, so expect intensity, excitement, and maybe even a little chaos. Stay locked in and catch us live from Four Nations!

Instant Reaction: Canucks’ Lankinen should start Finland’s next game after 6-1 loss to USA

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