Five storylines to follow at NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off

1. Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon finally play together for Team Canada

The NHL's decision not to participate in any Olympics since 2014 deprived fans of watching three of the greatest players of all time suit up together. Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) and MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche) are famously close, and a new rumor springs up every year about the two eventually teaming in the NHL. Now, we can at least get a look at how they do together in international play. 

Crosby and MacKinnon practiced on the same line Monday at the first practice, with Crosby centering and MacKinnon at right wing. McDavid (Edmonton Oilers), Crosby and MacKinnon are on Canada's top power- play unit.

2. American hockey is rising on the international stage

The Americans have long been just a tier below their neighbors to the north, but that is changing. Yet, for years, Team USA has not had the opportunity to prove this anywhere other than the World Juniors tournament in which they are back-to-back champions and have won four times in the past decade. 

Six Americans — three from the 2017 WJC (Adam Fox of the New York Rangers, Charlie McAvoy of the Boston Bruins and Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars) and three from the 2021 WJC (Matt Boldy and Brock Faber of the Minnesota Wild and Jake Sanderson of the Ottawa Senators) — will play in this tournament. 

3. Will NHL rivalries spill onto the ice? 

International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) rules differ from NHL rules, but this is the rare best-on-best play tournament in which international teams will be playing on NHL rinks and following NHL rules. 

In most cases, with so many teams and players intermingled, you wouldn't bet on too much bad blood spilling over onto the ice. But with more physicality in the NHL game, it's hard to rule anything out. 

Could the recent spat between ex-Vancouver Canucks teammates J.T. Miller, now with the New York Rangers, and Elias Pettersson show up in the Feb. 17 showdown between the U.S. and Sweden? Will rivalries invert from NHL to international — as they typically do — with players getting the opportunity to wear their nation's colors?

4. Which goalie will steal the show? 

Someone is going to get red-hot in best-on-best play and completely change the shape of the tournament. Do you remember Henrik Lundqvist backstopping the Swedes to a shocking gold medal at the 2006 Olympics or Carey Price's dominance for Canada at the 2014 Olympics?

The U.S. features arguably the best goalie tandem in the tournament with Winnipeg Jets superstar Connor Hellebuyck and Dallas Stars netminder Jake Oettinger, a former World Juniors champion. Canada has the only two players in the tournament to backstop a Stanley Cup winner (Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues and Adin Hill of the Vegas Golden Knights). 

Sweden is without Jacob Markstrom (New Jersey Devils) because of injury, but it could see either Filip Gustavsson (Minnesota Wild) or Linus Ullmark (Ottawa Senators) get hot at this tournament. The Finnish team will look to Nashville's Juuse Saros.

5. Who can overcome the injury bug? 

Every team has seemingly dealt with injury trouble leading into the tournament. Alex Pietrangelo, who played on the 2014 Canadian Olympic team, pulled out of the tournament because of injury concerns. Superstar Vancouver Canucks defender Quinn Hughes suffered an injury late in the process and was replaced by  Senators defender Jake Sanderson for Team USA. 

The Swedes are already without goalie Markstrom, but Ullmark has also been battling a back injury. The Finnish team is without stud defenseman Miro Heiskanen (Dallas Stars), who was injured in a collision with Vegas' Mark Stone.