So, how was that first game of the 4 Nations Face-off?

Team Canada managed to squeak away with a 4-3 overtime victory against Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson and Team Sweden. If you missed it, make sure to grab the update in our Instant Reaction here.

We now look ahead to tonight’s game between Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen and Team Finland against Team USA.

Unfortunately, Canucks fans won’t get to watch their captain, Quinn Hughes, during this tournament as he chose to sit to heal his oblique injury. But there are still some exciting storylines to follow.

Let’s dive in and preview this game.

Coverage for Team USA vs. Team Finland kicks off at 5 PM PST / 8 PM EST from the Bell Centre in Montreal.

This game can be streamed on Sportsnet.ca in Canada (subscription required) and TVA Sports (subscription required). Other streaming platforms to watch the game (outside of Canada): ESPN & ESPN+.

Here are the projected lines for tonight, provided by Daily Faceoff.

Connor Hellebuyck gets the start for Team USA, with Jake Oettinger serving as the backup.

Juuse Saros gets the start for Team Finland, with Lankinen serving as the backup.

All eyes are on the Americans for this matchup. They and Team Canada were co-favourites heading into the tournament and probably would have edged out Canada had they had Quinn Hughes. That is a massive blow for their defence corps. However, the blueline they are icing is still an enormous advantage. Zach Werenski is having a career year, sitting second among NHL defenceman in scoring – tied with Quinn Hughes – with 59 points. Look for him to fill the void and make an impact in the American’s first game.

Forward-wise, where to even begin? The USA has stacked talent up and down the forward corps. A third line of Brady Tkachuk – JT Miller – Matthew Boldy looks like one of the more intimidating lines to go up against in the entire tournament. Watch for these two power forwards to make an impact in the physical game early on.

It seems crazy to see Auston Matthews as the second-line centre on this team, but given the incredible season Jack Eichel is having, you have no choice. That first line of Kyle Connor – Jack Eichel – Matthew Tkachuk is going to be a problem. They’re going to make some noise in this game and find a way to get on the scoresheet, especially against a weaker defence corps.

It’s hard not to feel bad for Team Finland coming into this tournament. They were already the weakest blueline heading into the tournament, but now, with Miro Heiskanen out for the tournament, that is a group that sticks out like a sore thumb. Outside of Esa Lindell, the blueline is mostly bottom-pairing defencemen. Look for Lindell to make a difference and log some heavy minutes on the backend for the Finns.

Forward-wise, it was a little surprising not to see new teammates Sebastian Aho and Mikko Rantanen get paired up with each other. However, a duo of Aleksander Barkov and Rantanen is going to be exciting to watch. But let’s not forget that Rantanen played with Arturri Lehkonen during his time in Colorado and will look to pick up chemistry.

Another season for splitting up Aho and Rantanen is to reunite Aho with Patrik Laine. They’ve never played with each other at the NHL level, but they dominated the World Junior Championships in 2016 en route to the gold medal. Laine finished with seven goals and six assists for 13 points, while Aho finished with five goals and nine assists for 14 points through seven games.

Watch for those two to try and continue on their recent international hockey chemistry.

Team USA – Watch for L1 & L3 and Zach Werenski.

Team Finland – Watch for Aho – Laine connection and Esa Lindell.