After ‘amazing experience’ at 4 Nations, Panthers ready for final regular-season push
The Florida Panthers had the largest contingent of any NHL team take part in the league’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament over the past week-and-a-half that took part in the 4 Nations Face-Off: A league-high eight players, plus two coaches, three front office members and one equipment manager.
The consensus from the group: The tournament, the NHL’s first soiree in international best-on-best hockey in nearly a decade, did its job.
“It was a very cool experience, seeing so many fans,” said defenseman Gustav Forsling, who represented his native Sweden. “I think it was a big success overall for hockey. A lot of viewers and a lot of fun.”
Added Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, who wore the “C” while playing for Finland: “The national anthems and everything, it gets you going right away. And it was an amazing experience. I really missed it. It’s been a long time since I played national team games last time it was great tournament, playing against best teams in the world and competing for your national team.”
In the end, Canada, which included a pair of Panthers in forwards Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart, won the tournament with a 3-2 overtime win over the United States, which included Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk. Bennett scored the game-tying goal with six minutes left in the second period and Reinhart had an assist on Canada’s first goal, which was scored by Nathan MacKinnon.
The tournament was well-received, with 9.3 million tuning into the championship game on ESPN — more than any NHL game ever.
“It was fantastic for what it is — at most a four-game tournament, so there’s not a month-long buildup, it’s not an Olympics where there’s a history of it — it was as good as it could be,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “Credit Team Canada and USA for bringing physicality early, for bringing real hockey to that tournament. I think it changed the course of the rest of the games and got a whole bunch of people aware of it. It was at the top of most websites, whether they were hockey or not. Couldn’t have asked for more with that: Overtime in the final is as good as it gets.”
Now, the focus shifts to what’s next — both in terms of the NHL and the international game.
In the immediate, the Panthers’ priority is finishing the regular season on a strong note as it gears up for the playoffs and a chance to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. Florida enters its game against the Seattle Kraken with a 34-20-3 record that leads the Atlantic Division with 25 games left to play.
The Panthers won eight of their final 11 games before the break.
While most players were able to use the league’s two-week break for 4 Nations to rest and recover, those who played in the tournament feel prepared for the home stretch of the season.
“Games were playoff mentality, and the speed and the pace of the game was awesome,” Forsling said. “It’s perfect. We’re ready to go now for that final push here.”
Beyond the NHL season, those who took part in the 4 Nations tournament are looking forward to next February and the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. It will be the first time since 2014 that NHL players will participate in the Olympics.
“It was a good first step, that’s for sure,” said Barkov, who was with Finland for the 2014 Olympic Games but only played in two games before sustaining a knee injury. “Of course, you think about Olympics as the as the main competition for national teams. I think it’s always been like that. I really can’t wait to for that time, but obviously just happy to be back here in Florida as well, seeing the teammates and flipping the switch.”
Tkachuk out
Maurice confirmed following the team’s morning skate on Saturday that Tkachuk will not play against the Kraken as he tends to a lower-body injury sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off. He will be evaluated Sunday and Monday to determine the next steps.
“We’ll get a bunch of people to get their hands on him,” Maurice said, “and then we’ll have a real clear plan after that.”
Tkachuk has been dealing with his injury, believed to be a groin injury, since the first USA-Canada meeting on Feb. 12 — his second game of the tournament. He didn’t play the final 12:36 of that game, a 3-1 United States win that secured their spot in the championship game. With the USA already locked into the title game, Tkachuk then sat out Monday’s round-robin finale against Sweden entirely.
In the championship game on Thursday, Tkachuk played just 6:47 and finished his final shift with 3:22 left in the second period.
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