Sports
4 Nations Face-Off: Canada-U.S. Preview, Props & Prediction
Feb 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada goalie Jordan Binnington (50) stops Team United States forward Auston Matthews (34) in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images The championship of the first-ever 4 Nations Face-Off will come down to a United States-Canada rematch on Thursday night in Boston.
The highly anticipated final is expected to draw huge television ratings, and sportsbooks are expecting to see heavy action on the game as well. The first meeting between the teams — a 3-1 win by the U.S. — was already the most-bet hockey game of the year at BetMGM, where four of the six most-bet have come from this tournament.
“We expect the USA-Canada final to be the most bet hockey game of the year,” senior trading manager Christian Cipollini said.
ODDS AND TRENDS
The U.S. is a 1.5-goal favorite at the sportsbook, where the Americans have been backed by 69 percent of all spread-line bets and 66 percent of the money. However, the public has been nearly split on the moneyline, which is -110 for both teams, with the U.S. drawing 52 percent of the money.
“Canada winning would be a good outcome for the sportsbook,” Cipollini said.
The total goals scored line of 5.5 has seen the Over backed by 70 percent of the bets and 61 percent of the money.
PROP PICKS
Over 1.5 Goals Scored 1st Period (-102 at BetMGM): This has been the most-bet prop at the book. The first meeting featured only four total goals, but Canada’s first three games have averaged 6.3 goals.
Connor McDavid Anytime Goalscorer (+210): McDavid has been the most popular play to find the back of the net at some point Thursday night. The Edmonton Oilers captain’s breakaway goal was the main highlight for Canada during Saturday night’s loss in round-robin play in Montreal.
INJURY REPORT
Charlie McAvoy is out for the U.S. with a shoulder infection and Quinn Hughes is likely to be, also.
The Vancouver Canucks captain — sidelined with an oblique injury since Jan. 31 — practiced for the second straight day on Wednesday in Vancouver, but he will not join Team USA in Boston for the 4 Nations Face-Off final against Canada.
Hughes — one of six players initially named to the U.S. side in June — was held out of the Canucks’ final four games before the tournament and was eventually replaced by Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson. With six defenders still available to play on Thursday night, Hughes would be ineligible unless another blue-liner is injured.
“The rules are the rules. I can’t play unless anyone else gets injured, and I obviously don’t want to see anyone get injured,” Hughes said on Tuesday. “It’s been fun to watch. Hard for me to watch. I’m close with a lot of those USA guys and proud of how they’ve been playing. And the six (defensemen) that have been there, of course, I want them to play. They’ve gotten us to the point where we’re in a championship game now, and those guys also deserve to play.
“But in saying that, it’s obviously been hard for me. I’m a competitor, and I feel like I want to play and need to be there.”
McAvoy, American captain Auston Matthews and the forward duo of brothers Brady and Matthew Tkachuk sat out Monday’s 2-1 loss to Sweden. U.S. coach Mike Sullivan expects all but McAvoy to play, including Brady Tkachuk, who missed Wednesday’s practice.
Replacing McAvoy’s ability — especially after a strong physical performance against Canada — will be challenging.
“He’s a guy that brought it,” U.S. goalie Connor Hellebuyck said.
THE NEWS
Regardless of how any lineup decisions shake out, the challenge will remain the same.
“Don’t give ’em time and space. Stay above McDavid and (Nathan) MacKinnon. Don’t let them gain speed,” U.S. defenseman Jaccob Slavin said. “That’s what (defensemen) love to do, right? Play against the best guys in the world and try to shut them down.”
Canada’s roster situation is more settled as defenseman Cale Makar returned from an illness for the final round-robin game against Finland. After missing the first U.S. matchup, the three-time All-Star and former Norris Trophy winner looks forward to getting his crack at a winner-take-all game in best-on-best play.
“Obviously, it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Makar said. “Big rivalry game. Excited to be out there with the group and battle hard. … The passion runs deep for both sides.
“I know both teams are going to be really excited.”
Canada entered the tournament with significant big-game experience, including 15 of the 28 total Stanley Cup-winning players across the four rosters. Captain Sidney Crosby has three NHL championships with the Pittsburgh Penguins as well as two Olympic gold medals with Team Canada.
While Bruins captain Brad Marchand looks to help Canada in his home NHL building, teammates like the Florida Panthers’ Sam Reinhart have played plenty of games at TD Garden as an opponent. Thursday is just another Game 7 type of assignment.
“Sometimes it’s fun going into the fire on the road a little bit,” Reinhart said. “It’s a situation you want to be in, you have to earn to be in.”
As for Marchand, the 36-year-old is serving as more of a role player alongside the likes of Crosby, McDavid and MacKinnon. However, coach Jon Cooper had nothing but praise for his contributions to the Canadian national team.
“I can’t say enough about what he’s done not only on the ice, but off the ice, galvanizing this group, especially being in his home city here for a few days,” Cooper said.
“His heart is the shape of a maple leaf, and it’s awesome to be around him,” he added earlier this week.
THEY SAID IT
–“It’s been really cool for three or four days to see the whole world following this sport. We’ve built for this moment. … Now we’re here, and they know what they have to do to finish it off.” –Cooper
–“It was a very competitive game the first game, and I would anticipate the next one will be every bit as competitive, if not more. It’s a great celebration of hockey. There are some generational talents on both sides. … I feel like I’ve got the best seat in the house behind the bench.” –Sullivan
PREDICTION
The final between bitter rivals is a fitting ending to what has been a smashing success for hockey with the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off. The Canadian forward group is uber-talented and the likely absence of Hughes is a significant factor for the strong American defense that has allowed only four goals through three games. –Canada 3, United States 2
–Field Level Media
Sports
Another Tiger possibly on trade block, Casey Mize, faces Royals
Jul 19, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Casey Mize (12) pitches during the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images The possibility of Tarik Skubal getting traded has loomed over the Tigers all season. But another key Detroit starter and impending free agent, Casey Mize, also could swap out uniforms if the Tigers choose to sell before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Mize could be making his last appearance with the club when the Tigers host the Kansas City Royals on Saturday afternoon.
The 29-year-old right-hander has battled groin tightness at various times this season, but when he’s been on the mound, he has delivered quality innings. Mize (4-6, 2.79 ERA) has allowed two or fewer runs in 11 of his 15 starts.
Mize had his latest start, his first after the All-Star break, cut short when a comebacker from Los Angeles Angels’ Jo Adell struck his left wrist. He exited after 3 1/3 innings but didn’t have any lingering effects from the injury.
“I’m good,” Mize said, according to the Detroit News. “I (am) looking forward to Saturday. We’ve been checking all the boxes that we need to and I’m feeling good.”
Mize, who gave up one run and five hits and a walk with five strikeouts in Anaheim, Calif., is not dwelling on the trade speculation.
“Where we are as a team makes that more simple (to deal with),” Mize said. “There are so many unknowns. We’re in a 10-game sprint right now, and it takes tons of focus on what we’re doing here and now, day to day. That’s kind of how I’ve always played, so that makes it pretty easy to focus on that instead of the other stuff. I’m just leaning on that and really caring about what we’re doing right now.”
Mize hasn’t faced the Royals this season, but he has made more career starts against them than any other club. He is 3-2 with a 4.97 ERA in 13 starts vs. Kansas City. Royals catcher Salvador Perez has a .424 average with five extra-base hits against him in 33 at-bats.
Michael Wacha (5-7, 3.66) will start for the Royals. Wacha was sharp in his first start after his All-Star appearance, holding San Francisco to one run and three hits in six innings on Monday.
The 35-year-old right-hander had one of his best outings of the season against the Tigers on May 9, tossing seven scoreless innings. He only allowed two hits and two walks while striking out six.
In 11 career starts against Detroit, he is 3-3 with a 2.95 ERA.
Like Mize, Wacha is a potential trade candidate, as is another veteran Royals starter, Seth Lugo. Wacha is signed through next season with a club option for 2028.
“We’ll be open-minded to anything,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “But we have to be very, very pointed on what we want to get out of any one of those two. And it’s also, they made a commitment to us, and that’s big. And I think that’s important to the morale of the team.”
The Tigers have won three straight, including the first two games of the current four-game series. Skubal struck out 12 in 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball during the Tigers’ 2-1 victory on Friday.
Kansas City had won three straight prior to visiting Detroit, while the Tigers have won three in a row.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Nationals All-Star Foster Griffin aims to level series vs. D-backs
Jul 19, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Foster Griffin (22) throws to an Athletics batter during the first inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Marshall-Imagn Images Washington left-hander Foster Griffin looks to continue his stellar rookie season and help the Nationals gain in the National League wild-card race when the club hosts the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday.
Arizona took the series opener 3-2 on Friday and has won four straight and six of seven.
Griffin (11-2, 2.69 ERA) has made eight consecutive starts without allowing more than one run, a franchise record. The 30-year-old All-Star has won three straight starts and has not taken a loss since May 14.
Washington is 16-4 in his starts this year, 10-1 in his past 11 outings. Included in that run was his lone career outing vs. the Diamondbacks. Griffin threw five innings of one-run ball for a 14-1 victory in Phoenix on June 5.
Last time out, Griffin allowed a run on eight hits over seven innings during a 5-2 win against the Athletics on Sunday.
Griffin, who spent the previous three seasons in Japan, is a free agent after this season and could be making his final start for the Nationals if they opt to trade him before the Aug. 3 deadline.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time here, enjoyed the clubhouse, the staff and front office,” he said, according to the Baltimore Banner. “The pitching staff, specifically, I feel like we’ve gotten along great, so we’ll see what happens.”
Arizona rookie left-hander Mitch Bratt (0-0, 5.06) opposes Griffin in his fourth major league start. Last time out, he gave up two runs on eight hits over 4 2/3 innings during a no-decision against the Athletics on Monday.
Eduardo Rodriguez pitched six strong innings on Friday and the Diamondbacks scored the go-ahead run on Gabriel Moreno’s seventh-inning sacrifice fly.
Arizona recorded its first run on a safety squeeze and its second when Ketel Marte got down the line in time to beat the potential double-play relay. Paul Sewald pitched the ninth for his 24th save.
“I thought we did a lot of little things right,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “It all added up and it was a great win. The bullpen went lights out, they executed. Paul got that big save.”
Moreno had two hits and reached base in his 40th straight start, moving into sole possession of the second-longest such streak in team history behind Corbin Carroll’s 44-game run in 2024.
Moreno has reached base two or more times in 12 of his past 15 games.
“It seems like he’s on base with every at-bat,” Lovullo said. “He spoils us with a really good approach. There’s just an ease to his game and he’s kind of in the middle of everything.”
The Nationals, who were opening a six-game homestand and had won three of four, got a two-run homer and a single from Dylan Crews. He is 6-for-21 (.286) in his past six games with two home runs, five RBIs and five runs.
CJ Abrams had two hits and is 11-for-21 (.524) in his past five games with two doubles, four home runs, eight RBIs and six runs.
Washington trails Arizona by three games for the third NL wild-card spot.
“We’re treating this like a playoff series,” Nationals manager Blake Butera said. “… Do whatever we have to do to come out of these with a win because we know how important it is against these guys.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rookie RHP Ryan Johnson, Angels attempt to level series vs. Giants
Jul 19, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher Ryan Johnson (32) pitches during the second inning against the Detroit Tigers at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Two teams that have struggled in close games would like nothing better than to be on the winning end of a one-sided affair Saturday afternoon when the Los Angeles Angels and the host San Francisco Giants continue their three-game interleague series.
Nine innings weren’t enough to determine a winner in the opener on Friday. The Giants emerged with a 7-6 win when Rafael Devers delivered a bases-loaded, walk-off single with one out in the bottom of the 10th.
The teams left the field with the scoreboard showing 8-6, the result of Devers’ long fly to left field having bounced over the fence. It initially was ruled a ground-rule double, with two runs scoring, even though only one was needed to end the game.
The Elias Sports Bureau, the official statisticians for Major League Baseball, reviewed the play shortly thereafter and the hit was changed to a single, producing one run. That made the official final score 7-6 and dropped Devers’ RBI total for the game from four to three.
The confusion was appropriate for teams that have struggled to record one-run wins this season. The Angels lead the majors with 19 one-run defeats, while the Giants have 16, tied with the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres for second most in the National League.
Having watched his team fail far more than succeed in tight games, Giants manager Tony Vitello had an unusual reaction to watching his club blow a late 6-4 lead before recovering.
“It made for a better win to be honest with you — more exciting, more memorable for the guys,” he said. “A moment, hopefully, they can build confidence on, that we can come back if things don’t go perfect.”
Giants left-hander Robbie Ray (8-6, 3.33 ERA), who started a one-run loss against the Colorado Rockies in his most recent home outing, will take the mound on Saturday.
Ray is 3-1 with a 2.53 ERA in five career starts against the Angels, with the .750 winning percentage equaling his second best against any opponent. With a win on Saturday, Ray would match his mark against the Chicago Cubs, 4-1.
Ray got a no-decision on Sunday after yielding three runs (one earned) on seven hits in four-plus innings against the Seattle Mariners.
The Angels will send out rookie right-hander Ryan Johnson (2-4, 6.10 ERA) to oppose Ray, 34.
Johnson, 23, faced four batters in relief and retired them all in his only previous meeting with the Giants, on April 19, 2025. In his latest outing, Johnson threw five innings of one-run ball in a 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.
While many Angels might be wondering where they will be after the upcoming trade deadline, Johnson, one of the franchise’s top prospects, has only pondered how he can be most effective the rest of this season and moving forward.
“I don’t know if there’s any specific goals other than just keep competing and getting a feel for being in the rotation week to week,” Johnson said following his Sunday outing. “I feel like I’ve been able to get into a good routine and figure out what I want to do in between starts that makes me feel good.”
–Field Level Media
Another Tiger possibly on trade block, Casey Mize, faces Royals
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