4 Nations Face-Off Preview – Kempe & Doughty begin play today + Buckley, Granger represent Kings

Happy international hockey day!

The 4 Nations Face-Off gets underway later on today, as Canada hosts Sweden in the first of seven total games over the next eight days. The tournament will be contested by four countries – Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States – in a round-robin format with a championship game to come next week between the top two ranked teams in the group. The 4 Nations Face-Off is an appetizer of sorts, setting hockey fans up for the NHL’s return to the Winter Olympics in 2026 and the return of the World Cup of Hockey, tentatively scheduled for 2028. The goal is to create a sustainable calendar for international hockey, offering best-on-best competition every other season between the Olympics and World Cup.

Still, although the 4 Nations tournament does not have the prestige of the other two tournaments, it is the first best-on-best hockey we’ve seen in some time. I’d argue the first since the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia, although you could argue the 2016 World Cup of Hockey was also best-on-best. I would just disagree. Either way, it’s been at least 10 years since we’ve seen international competition at this level and that adds at least some excitement to the tournament to come.

There’s also excitement strictly from a Kings perspective. Forward Adrian Kempe will represent Team Sweden, while defenseman Drew Doughty will skate for Team Canada. The two will square off tonight for the first time ever in a competitive game, with that game broadcast here in the United States on TNT and HBO MAX.

For Kempe, it’s his first ever international competition in a best-on-best format, after skating in the IIHF World Championships four times for his native Sweden. Kempe should be considered close to a lock for next season’s Olympic team when that time comes as well. This could also be a chance for the world to see the player we see on a daily basis here in Los Angeles. More from Kempe heading into the tournament HERE.

For Doughty, consider this the latest chapter in his redemption arc. A serious ankle injury in September cost him the first 47 games of the season for the Kings, as well as an automatic selection on the Team Canada roster. A late scratch by Vegas blueliner Alex Pietrangelo opened up a spot and once Doughty was back in the lineup, proving his ability to compete with a heavy workload, he was selected to return to the Canadian national team on Saturday. While obviously his first 4 Nations Face-Off, Doughty has played in two Olympics and one World Cup, winning all three. More from Doughty on what this means to him HERE.

Kempe and Doughty will also be joined by two members of the Kings staff.

Goaltending Coach Mike Buckley will be on Mike Sullivan’s staff with Team USA. Buckley worked with Sullivan in Pittsburgh before coming to the Kings last summer. Since Buckley joined the organization, the Kings rank second in the NHL in team save percentage at .906, trailing only the Winnipeg Jets, who are naturally led by one of the goaltenders Buckley will work with this week in Connor Hellebuyck. Buckley will work to help select a starting goaltender between Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger (Dallas) and Jeremy Swayman (Boston). Talk about an embarrassment of riches. More on Buckley to come tomorrow, previewing his participation in the tournament in advance of the first game for the United States.

Head Equipment Manager Darren Granger is the final member of the tournament from the Kings standpoint. Granger is widely regarded as one of, if not the top equipment manager in the NHL. The Manitoba native was behind the bench for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia, as well as the World Cup of Hockey in both 2016 and 1996, on top of four World Championships (1999, 2006, 2008, 2010). Granger has familiarity working with Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby from the 2014 Olympics and will be behind the bench for the red and white once again, beginning tomorrow evening.

As noted, Doughty, Kempe and Granger get their tournaments underway tonight, while Buckley’s first game comes on Thursday. See below for the full schedule for the tournament below –

4 Nations Face-Off Schedule
February 12 – Sweden vs. Canada, 5:00 PM Pacific (TNT, MAX)
February 13 – Finland vs. United States, 5:00 APM Pacific (ESPN, ESPN+)
February 15 – Sweden vs. Finland, 10:200 AM Pacific (ABC, ESPN+)
February 15 – Canada vs. United States, 5:00 PM Pacific (ABC, ESPN+)
February 17 – Finland vs. Canada, 10:00 AM Pacific (TNT, MAX)
February 17 – United States vs. Sweden, 5:00 PM Pacific (TNT, MAX)
February 20 – Championship Game, 5:00 PM Pacific (ESPN, ESPN+)

All games will be broadcast nationally in the United States, with games split between ABC, ESPN and TNT. For those interesting in watching Doughty and Kempe square off tomorrow evening, the game begins at 5 PM Pacific on TNT and MAX. Both players will also play on ABC on Saturday, a doubleheader in Montreal, and TNT on Monday, a doubleheader in Boston. Should either or both qualify for the championship game, it will be broadcast on ESPN on Thursday, 2/20 from Boston.

Coverage to follow from the Kings throughout the course of the tournament, with the remainder of the team off from practices and games all week. Kings will resume practices in advance of their first game on February 22 and more coverage to come then. Until that point, enjoy some Ontario Reign games and coverage here on LAKI, as well as the international hockey we’ve missed for several years now. Or, enjoy an in-season break the way I certainly am, after a grinding four months. Talk soon, Insiders!