Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews have provided understated defensive impact at 4 Nations Face-Off

Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews will square off again at the 4 Nations Face-Off final, with national pride and bragging rights on the line. Marner scored Canada’s overtime winner against Sweden, the differentiation point as to why his country is in Thursday’s final, while Matthews return to USA’s lineup after missing Monday’s versus Sweden due to an upper-body injury.

Marner and Matthews haven’t provided the offensive production we’ve come to expect from the Toronto Maple Leafs superstar duo, but it’s a short tournament, and they’re working well out of a team structure. It was always within the realm of expectation that Marner could be used in a third-line role alongside Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli, to provide some playmaking and scoring punch to an elite defensive line, and that’s precisely what Jon Cooper did against Team Finland, with the expectation this line will remain intact for the final.

Mitch Marner certainly has more to give at the 4 Nations. But it can’t be forgotten that his OT winner against Sweden is the reason why Canada ended up winning the tiebreaker and earning a spot in the finals. pic.twitter.com/jncEkgQlV6

— Michael (@mic_mazz) February 20, 2025

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There’s been an attendant expectation for Marner to produce offensively, and some believe that his one assist is somehow a microcosm of his career overall, where he hasn’t produced in big moments, but Canada advanced to the final due to the head-to-head tiebreaker against Sweden, which was clinched on Marner’s overtime goal. Marner’s defensive impact has been understated, with an even shot differential (17-17) at 5-on-5, and he could thrive in a role where he’s asked to man-mark Jack Hughes during Thursday’s final. He’s been stellar on the penalty kill throughout the tournament and while some have been inclined to keep moving the goalposts back, when it comes to quantifying his impact, the defensive side of the game cannot be overlooked when accounting for the world’s best men’s players.

Matthews has been even better during his two games on the defensive side, with USA holding a plus-seven shot differential when he’s on the ice. At his best, Matthews is the world’s best goal scorer and naturally, people want to see him shoot the lights out against the world’s best players. If you asked anyone at the start of the tournament if Jake Guentzel (Matthews’ primary linemate) or Dylan Larkin would be the offensive engines for the USA, it would warrant a double take, but that’s how it has played out through three games. Matthews can clamp down elite players — this should be obvious, as a Selke finalist last season — and he can score at a moment’s notice. If Guentzel ends up winning tournament MVP, Matthews’ solid contributions on both sides of the puck should not be discounted.

If you want to view Marner and Matthews’ relative lack of offensive production as a microcosm of their playoff performances with the Maple Leafs, that would be completely unfair. Marner and Matthews are playing different roles with their international teams and can turn defensive impact into instant offence when called upon, although Thursday’s final should be another cagey affair where two-way responsibility is key. The anxiety is palpable, but using the international window to vent cumulative criticisms of Marner and Matthews’ playoff performances is myopic, at best.

We’ve seen Marner and Matthews’ game-breaking offensive talent through the past decade, and as Marner proved against Sweden, it just takes one moment of brilliance to rewrite some staid narratives. Marner and Matthews aren’t going to win tournament MVP, but their two-way impact has certainly been understated throughout the 4 Nations Face-Off.