Fresh off their thrilling 4-3 overtime victory over Sweden Wednesday night, Team Canada is making a strategic lineup adjustment in anticipation of their highly anticipated showdown with the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off this Saturday.
Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett was inserted into the Canadian lineup at practice Friday, taking the place of Travis Konecny. Bennett was placed as the center on a line with Brad Marchand and Seth Jarvis, a sign of a tweak in Canada's strategy.
Also, Team Canada made another change by moving Anthony Cirelli to the wing on a line with Brayden Point at center and Brandon Hagel, an all-Tampa Bay Lightning line.
These changes suggest Canada is seeking a mix of speed, grit, and offensive variety in attacking a high-scoring American squad. Konecny, who played 10:20 against Sweden, finished with a minus-2 rating and three hits.
Bennett, on the other hand, will bring an extra dimension to Canada's bottom six, bringing physicality and grit to counter a U.S. team that erupted for five third-period goals in a 6-1 rout of Finland on Thursday.
The 28-year-old Bennett has been a force for the Panthers this season, recording 18 goals, 17 assists, and 62 penalty minutes in 55 games. The puck drops at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday in Montreal.
The U.S. can clinch a spot in the finals with a regulation win over Canada tomorrow night.
POLL | ||
FÉVRIER 14 | 429 ANSWERS Team Canada Makes Lineup Changes After Too-Close-For-Comfort Game Against Sweden Will Sam Bennett help Canada beat the USA? | ||
Yes | 252 | 58.7 % |
No | 177 | 41.3 % |
LIST OF POLLS |
YESTERDAY
OCTOBER 22, 2025
| ||||
G | A | PTS | ||
Jack Quinn | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
Ryan McLeod | - | 2 | 2 | |
Dawson Mercer | - | 2 | 2 | |
Conor Timmins | - | 2 | 2 | |
Zachary Bolduc | 1 | - | 1 | |
Matthew Boldy | 1 | - | 1 | |
Jesper Bratt | 1 | - | 1 | |
J.T. Compher | 1 | - | 1 | |
Paul Cotter | 1 | - | 1 | |
Brenden Dillon | 1 | - | 1 | |
Josh Doan | 1 | - | 1 | |
Emmitt Finnie | 1 | - | 1 | |
Arseny Gritsyuk | 1 | - | 1 | |
Adam Klapka | 1 | - | 1 | |
Tyson Kozak | 1 | - | 1 | |
Michael Matheson | 1 | - | 1 | |
Jason Zucker | 1 | - | 1 | |
Jonatan Berggren | - | 1 | 1 | |
Connor Brown | - | 1 | 1 | |
Zeev Buium | - | 1 | 1 | |
COMPLETE STATS |
2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
Canadiens | 8 | 6 | 2 | - | 12 | |
Red Wings | 7 | 5 | 2 | - | 10 | |
Panthers | 8 | 4 | 4 | - | 8 | |
Maple Leafs | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 | |
Sabres | 7 | 3 | 4 | - | 6 | |
Bruins | 8 | 3 | 5 | - | 6 | |
Senators | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 5 | |
Lightning | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | |
GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
Devils | 7 | 6 | 1 | - | 12 | |
Hurricanes | 6 | 5 | 1 | - | 10 | |
Penguins | 7 | 5 | 2 | - | 10 | |
Capitals | 7 | 5 | 2 | - | 10 | |
Flyers | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | |
Rangers | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 7 | |
Islanders | 6 | 3 | 3 | - | 6 | |
Blue Jackets | 6 | 3 | 3 | - | 6 | |
GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
Avalanche | 7 | 5 | - | 2 | 12 | |
Jets | 6 | 5 | 1 | - | 10 | |
Mammoth | 7 | 5 | 2 | - | 10 | |
Blackhawks | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
Blues | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | |
Wild | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 7 | |
Stars | 6 | 3 | 3 | - | 6 | |
Predators | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | |
GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
Golden Knights | 7 | 5 | - | 2 | 12 | |
Canucks | 7 | 4 | 3 | - | 8 | |
Kraken | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
Ducks | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | |
Oilers | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 | |
Kings | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | |
Flames | 8 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3 | |
Sharks | 6 | - | 4 | 2 | 2 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS |