Team USA got some good and bad news at its last full practice before Thursday’s 4 Nations Face-Off final versus Canada.
The good news was that both Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk were on the ice at Wednesday’s practice after they both missed Monday’s game against Sweden.
The bad news? Brady Tkachuk did not practice with the team.
On Tuesday, U.S. head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters he expected both the Tkachuk brothers and Matthews to be available for Thursday’s championship.
-
-
Canada vs. USA in 4 Nations Face-Off final on Sportsnet
Fierce rivals Canada and the U.S. collide in Boston on Thursday for the 4 Nations Face-Off final. Watch the game on Sportsnet, starting at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.
Matthew Tkachuk and Matthews appear to be trending in the right direction, while Brady’s status appears to be a little more up in the air.
With Brady absent from practice, Kyle Connor skated in his place on a line with Matthew and Jack Eichel.
Brady exited early against Sweden for precautionary reasons after he slammed into the post while going in on net.
Matthew suffered a lower-body injury in Saturday’s fight-filled win over Canada. The 27-year-old skated just 1:13 in the third period after testing out something that seemed to bother him. He appeared to tell assistant coach John Tortorella at one point that he “couldn’t go.”
Finally, Matthews was “battling something,” according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and was given the night off against Sweden to rest.
You can watch the highly anticipated rematch between the northern rivals on Thursday live on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ with coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT.
