USA’s Connor Hellebuyck, Finland’s Juuse Saros to start 4 Nations Face-Off opener
The starting goalies for Thursday night’s game between the United States and Finland have been announced.
USA Hockey says Winnipeg Jets’ goaltender Connor Hellebuyck will get the start.
Helle gets the nod 🇺🇸
See you tomorrow at 8p ET on @espn. #4Nations pic.twitter.com/XXcvt8s2Or
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) February 12, 2025
As for Finland, head coach Antti Pennanen says Nashville Predators’ netminder Juuse Saros gets the nod for game one.
USA Hockey announced Connor Hellebuyck is starting tomorrow night. Finland coach Antti Pennanen says he’s going with Juuse Saros. pic.twitter.com/fwmZ1aRckj
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) February 12, 2025
Hellebuyck, 31, has a league-leading 34 wins this season with the Jets. He has a 2.06 goals against average (GAA), a .925 save percentage (SV%) and six shutouts. Now in his 10th season, all with Winnipeg, Hellebuyck has a career record of 209-180-43 with a .917 SV%, a 2.58 GAA and 43 shutouts.
Hellebuyck, taken in the fifth round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, has won the Vezina Trophy twice and the William M. Jennings Trophy once.
As for Saros, he’s had a bit of a down year with the Predators, posting a 11-23-6 record with an .898 SV%, a 2.95 GAA and four shutouts. Also in his 10th NHL season, all with Nashville, he has a career record of 193-142-38 with a .915 SV% and 2.66 GAA.
Drafted by the Predators in the fourth round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Saros was nominated for the Vezina Trophy in 2021-22.
Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis said this about Hellebuyck in his 4 Nations Face-Off goalie preview:
Look just about anywhere that’s posting pre-tournament predictions and almost all of them has Hellebuyck finishing as the top goaltender. And given the way he’s playing in the NHL – either leading or near the top of every major statistical category – it seems the crease is his.