The Lightning captain and two-time Stanley Cup champion will lead his country into the international best-on-best tournament in February.

Are the Edmonton Oilers a better team than they were a season ago? I think they might be. A year ago this week the Oilers were riding an incredible 16-game winning streak and preparing for the NHL All-Star Break Feb.

The game at Rogers Place in Edmonton begins at 6:30 p.m. PT. It will be broadcast on KONG. KONG is available for streaming through DirecTV Stream and Fubo, as well as via antenna, cable, and satellite. The game will also be broadcast on the Kraken Hockey Network. Pregame coverage begins at 6 p.m.

Saad has been relegated to a bottom-six role in St. Louis, having been passed on the depth chart by former Oilers forward Dylan Holloway. He is coming off a 26-goal campaign with the Blues last season, and it still looks like he has the wheels to be an NHL player.

Victor Hedman was named captain of Team Sweden for the 4 Nations Face-Off on Thursday. The 34-year-old defenseman is in his first season as captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning. This is the first time Hedman will captain Sweden in international play. He was an assistant captain for Sweden at the 2024 IIHF World Championships, where they won bronze.

The Pacific Division is fun this season. A new leader in the Pacific Division has emerged, as the Edmonton Oilers have a 32-15-3 record with 67 points.

Hedman, a 16-season veteran in his first campaign as captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning, will lead Sweden, with Mattias Ekholm of the Edmonton Oilers, Erik Karlsson of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs serving as alternates.

Victor Hedman draws the 'C' for Sweden with Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander, Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Erik Karlsson and Edmonton Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm serving as alternates.

Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning was named captain of Sweden. The other two assistant captains are Erik Karlsson of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Mattias Ekholm of the Edmonton Oilers. Finland was the first team in the tournament to name its captain and assistants on Thursday.

Right-shot defenceman Alec Regula was claimed off waivers six weeks ago from the Boston Bruins, who were trying to send him to their AHL farm team in Providence to continue his rehab from off-season knee surgery, but he’s yet to play a single minute for the Edmonton Oilers.

The Pittsburgh Penguins placed Evgeni Malkin on waivers Monday. It's the second time this year the 38-year-old will miss time. How has his team faired without him?

Connor McDavid scored in his return from a three-game suspension as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the visiting Seattle Kraken 4-2 Monday night.