Barkov scored a power-play goal on five shots in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Kings.

The 4 Nations Face-Off captains and leadership groups for Canada, Finland, Sweden and the U.S. must guide their teams to a win with little margin for error.

Aleksander Barkov was named captain for Team Finland for the 4 Nations Face-Off on Wednesday.

Star centre Aleksander Barkov was the first captain named ahead of the 4 Nations Face-off Thursday. The Florida Panthers' star draws the 'C' with Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola serving as alternates.

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.

These days, there are only a few people in Finland who are more recognizable than Aleksander Barkov. Hockey is arguably the most-popular sport in Finland, and right now, it would seem that Barkov and the sport have become synonymous in the Suomi.

The Panthers have eight players total slated to participate in the tournament: Four for Finland (Barkov, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola), two for Canada (Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett), one for the United States (Matthew Tkachuk) and one for Sweden (Gustav Forsling).

Once again, the longtime Penguins' captain will have a chance to lead Canada on the international scene, vying for a fourth gold medal in four tries

Hockey Canada announced Thursday that Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will serve as Canada’s captain for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Assistant captains will be Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar.

Team Finland will be captained by a Stanley Cup champion at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Aleksander Barkov of the defending champion Florida Panthers will wear the ‘C’ for Finland. Carolina Hurricanes stars Sebastian Aho and Mikko Rantanen, and San Jose Sharks veteran Mikael Granlund, will serve as assistant captains.

Crosby is a two-time Hart Trophy winner as NHL MVP, a two-time Maurice (Rocket) Richard Trophy winner as the league’s top goal-scorer, a two-time Art Ross Trophy winner as top scorer, and a two-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP.