Aside from defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who was ruled out for the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game with an infected right shoulder, Team USA is expected to have every other player who was banged up available on Thursday.
The list of players ruled out before the game between the United States and Sweden on Monday was a who’s who of the U.S. roster: Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk, Charlie McAvoy, each of the members of the team’s leadership group.
Nations Face Off Championship tournament will conclude with a championship showdown between Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk’s USA squad and Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby’s Canada club at Boston’s TD Garden.
With Team USA already claiming a spot in the 4 Nations Face-Off title game, Monday’s matchup with Sweden had nothing on the line for either team. Both teams rolled into the game shorthanded: USA was without Matthew Tkachuk and Auston Matthews due to what sound like precautionary reasons;
Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk were both held out of the U.S. game against Sweden on Monday, and Brady Tkachuk was injured in the first period and did not play the rest of the game. Brady did not take the ice for the U.
McAvoy and Tkachuk did not participate in morning skate for Team USA, which already secured a spot in Thursday's TD Garden final vs. Canada, but Matthews was scratched close to puck drop. Brady Tkachuk was then lost for the night after a first-period collision.
Guentzel's goal came in the third, 11 seconds after Matthew Tkachuk had pushed the USA up 3-1 on the power play. He scored on the rush from the left circle off a pass from Auston Matthews. The two goals in 11 seconds tied an NHL international tourney record (1991 Canada Cup) for fastest consecutive goals scored by the same team.
The U.S. is dealing with a handful of notable injuries ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game against Canada.
The crowd in Montreal didn't hand Auston Matthews a warm reception, and now Keith Tkachuk has praised Team USA's captain for the reaction he garnered.
Auston Matthews, Team USA's No. 1 center and captain who had some upper body soreness after the win over Canada game on Saturday, joined star forward Matthew Tkachuk and did not play in Monday's 4 Nations Face-Off game against Sweden at TD Garden.