Hellebuyck to start for U.S. against Finland at 4 Nations Face-Off

BROSSARD, Quebec -- Connor Hellebuyck was asked if he was prepared to play every game for the United States in the 4 Nations Face-Off. His answer couldn't have been more clear and more direct.

"Everyone should be," the Winnipeg Jets goalie said Monday.

On Wednesday, Hellebuyck was announced as the starting goalie for the game against Finland on Thursday at Bell Centre in Montreal (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS), one day after coach Mike Sullivan said the team knew who would be starting but wasn't ready to announce it.

Hellebuyck said on Monday he would be ready if called upon.

"At this point, the season has started, let's go. I'm ready, I'm waiting," Hellebuyck said after the United States' first practice at CN Sports Complex. "This is the most practice I've had in a long time. I just want to play some games.

"I know there are different systems going on and you need a little bit of time, but for a goaltender it's stop the puck. I'm ready for it."

The tournament, which runs through Feb. 20 with games at Bell Centre and TD Garden in Boston, will see the U.S. play three times in five days starting Thursday.

Hellebuyck is one of three goalies on the U.S. roster, along with Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars and Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins.

Hellebuyck leads the NHL in wins (34), save percentage (.925, minimum 20 games) and goals-against average (2.06, minimum 20 games). The 31-year-old comes into the 4 Nations Face-Off having won six games in a row, and since the calendar turned to January he's 10-2-1 with a .913 save percentage and 2.22 GAA in 13 games.

"He's so big (6-foot-4, 207 pounds) and you have no net, you can't see any net when you're shooting on him," U.S. forward Matthew Tkachuk said. "I've played against him a bunch for a lot of years. He's a super, super elite goalie. It's really fun having him on my side."

Hellebuyck is one of the biggest reasons the U.S. is favored by some to win the 4 Nations Face-Off. In fact, of the four countries -- Canada, Finland, Sweden and the U.S. -- the United States seemingly has the best and deepest three-man goalie depth chart.

Along with Hellebuyck, there's Oettinger, who is second in the NHL in wins (26) and has a 2.35 GAA and .911 save percentage in 40 games for the Dallas Stars, and Swayman, who is 18-18-4 with a 2.98 GAA and .898 save percentage in 40 games with the Boston Bruins.

"They're studs," U.S. captain Auston Matthews said. "You can feel it in practice, just how athletic they are and how much space they take up in the net. So all three of those guys are incredible."

Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy has a unique take on the three goalies since he's been a teammate with each of them.

"There's no shortage of talent," he said. "You're talking about three of the best goaltenders in the world. 'Sway,' I get to see on a day-in/day-out (basis), how he competes, how he prepares. It's second to none.

"'Otter' was my goalie in college (Boston University), so I have a great relationship with him, watching him grow and develop and what led him to being a star in Dallas. And then I played with 'Helly' at the (2017) World Championship, so I got to play in front of him and see how he plays and competes.

"And obviously you get to see it all on display every night in the NHL. So it's a who's-who back there, and we have faith in whoever is going to be in net."

Forward Jack Hughes feels the same way, but also thinks Hellebuyck is the right choice.

"We've got the best goalie in the League, you know, so you can only play one of your goalies and we've got three great goalies," he said. "One of them happens to be the best in the NHL."

Hellebuyck will try to take his game to a whole new level.

"I always strived to be the best I possibly can and wanted to be one of the best in the world," Hellebuyck said, "so this is a good milestone for that and lets me know that I'm doing some of the right things to taking care of myself the right way.

"That being said, it's still a lot of work ahead of me for where I want to go and what I want to achieve."