What Bruins fans need to know about new 4 Nations Face-Off tournament

The NHL is putting on a brand new best-on-best international hockey tournament this year with the 4 Nations Face-Off, and Boston will play a prominent role in the event.

The tournament is taking the place of the NHL All-Star Game this season, and it will include the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland.

A total of three games, including the championship matchup, will be hosted by TD Garden in Boston. There also will be a multi-day Fan Village loaded with cool things to do.

Here's a look at what Bruins fans need to know about the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.

Bruins players/execs involved

Brad Marchand, LW, Canada

Marchand has some Team Canada experience, but he has yet to represent his country on the Olympic stage. A good showing in the 4 Nations Face-Off potentially could boost his chances of making the 2026 Olympic team. Marchand is 35 years old, but he has a long history of stepping up in clutch moments, which makes him a great fit for this Canadian roster.

The Bruins captain skated at left wing on Canada's third line alongside Brayden Point and Seth Jarvis during Monday's practice.

Charlie McAvoy, D, United States

McAvoy last played for the United States at the 2018 World Championships, where he won a bronze medal. He also won gold at every junior level with Team USA, including the 2017 World Juniors. McAvoy is an elite two-way defenseman who should play a major role for the Americans. He can play in all situations.

McAvoy was paired with Blue Jackets star Zach Werenski during Monday's practice, which is an awesome shutdown duo.

And on an unrelated note, the head coach of Team USA -- Mike Sullivan -- is McAvoy's father-in-law.

Jeremy Swayman, G, United States

Swayman is one of three goalies on the USA roster, along with Connor Hellebuyck and Jake Oettinger. Hellebuyck is the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy for the first-place Jets and expected to be Team USA's No. 1 goalie in this tournament, so we might not see much of Swayman. But if injury or poor performance creates the need for a change, Swayman is a pretty good netminder to have on the bench.

Vitor Munhoz/4NFO/World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images

Vitor Munhoz/4NFO/World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images

Elias Lindholm, C, Sweden

Lindholm has been a disappointment for the Bruins after signing a seven-year, $54.25 million contract in free agency last July. He practiced as the fourth-line center for Sweden in Monday's session. Lindholm is a very good defensive forward, so it wouldn't be surprising to see him feature prominently on Sweden's penalty kill and take a lot of important faceoffs.

Don Sweeney, GM, Canada

Sweeney is Team Canada's general manager and played a huge part in putting together the roster. If Canada disappoints at this tournament, Sweeney will shoulder some of the blame.

Massachusetts-born players/coaches

There are four players from Massachusetts competing in this tournament. They are Rangers forward Chris Kreider (Boxford), Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel (North Chelmsford), Wild forward Matt Boldy (Millis) and Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin (Norwood).

United States head coach Mike Sullivan is a Marshfield native.

Tournament format

The 4 Nations will use a round robin format, with the two best teams earning a spot in the championship game. Teams will be awarded three points for a win in regulation, two points for a win in overtime/shootout, one point for a loss in overtime/shootout and zero points for a regulation loss.

In the round robin games, overtime will consist of 10 minutes of 3-on-3 sudden death. If the score remains tied after 10 minutes of OT action, the game will go to a shootout. In the championship game, overtime will be 5-on-5 sudden death for 20-minute periods, just like the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

TD Garden schedule

The first two games for each team in the round robin format will be played at the Bell Centre in Montreal. The final round robin games, as well as the championship game, will be at TD Garden in Boston.

This is the trophy the four teams are playing for:

Here is the full schedule for the games at the Garden.

Monday, February 17

1 p.m. ET: Canada vs. Finland on TNT

8 p.m. ET: Sweden vs. USA on TNT

Thursday, Feb. 20

8 p.m. ET: Championship game on ESPN

Fan Village

There will be a 4 Nations Fan Village in Boston from Feb. 15 through Feb. 17 at Boston City Hall Plaza.

Here are the hours for the Fan Village:

• Saturday, Feb. 15: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET
• Sunday, Feb. 16: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET
• Monday, Feb. 17: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET

The Fan Village will include a watch party for Finland vs. Sweden at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 15, and a Canada vs. Finland watch party at 1 p.m. ET on Monday, Feb. 17.

Other fun events and experiences that will be part of the Fan Village include taking a photo with the Stanley Cup, seeing the 4 Nations Trophy, testing your hockey skills, a Hockey Hall of Fame exhibit and much more.

For a full schedule and list of activities, click here.