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Matthew, Brady Tkachuk both expected to play in 4 Nations’ showdown vs. Canada

Originally posted on NHL on ClutchPoints
By Christopher Hennessy | Last updated Feb 18, 2025 3:44 PM ET

Team USA and Team Canada will square off in Thursday’s 4 Nations Face-Off championship game. After a wild Saturday night matchup in Montreal, the teams are ready to renew the rivalry stateside. Matthew and Brady Tkachuk started that game with fights that galvanized the Americans. But Stanley Cup Champion Matthew did not play with an injury for most of the third period. And then Brady left Team USA’s loss against Sweden. Head coach Mike Sullivan said both brothers are on track to play.

“The Tkachuk brothers are also expected to play,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported from Sullivan’s press conference.

Sullivan also expects Auston Matthews to play after he left the Sweden game with an injury. The Americans had already clinched a spot in the title game before Monday’s matchup so Matthews and the Tkachuks were held out for “precautionary reasons.”

But there is one big injury that Team USA will be felt on Thursday. Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy was great against Connor McDavid in the first 4 Nations USA-Canada game but won’t play Thursday. He was admitted to a local hospital with an infection related to an upper-body injury.

Even with McAvoy out, Team USA must be thrilled with the injury updates. Having both Tkachuk brothers playing in the final 4 Nations Face-Off game gives them a great chance to win.

The Tkachuk brothers are key to a 4 Nations Face-Off win

Team United States forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) and Team Canada forward brandon Hagel (38) fight in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at the Bell Centre Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

When Matthew Tkachuk opened up Saturday night’s game by fighting Brandon Hagel, it set the tone for the rest of the game. When Brady Tkachuk followed with a bout against Sam Bennett, the game left the stratosphere. No one on any team in the tournament has the physicality that the Tkachuk brothers bring to Team USA.

That played out in their first game of the 4 Nations Face-Off as well. Team USA smoked Team Finland 6-1 last Thursday with both Brady and Matthew Tkachuk scoring two goals. Their physicality helped break a solid Finnish defense and open up the floodgates in the third period.

The 4 Nations Face-Off is both a vehicle for the NHL to profit off of international hockey and a training ground for the 2026 Olympics. While the Tkachuks did not need to prove much to be considered for that team, they have evolved into USA’s most important forwards. Securing a great center in Jack Eichel to play between them has helped this American team and should come back in Italy next year.

Team USA and Team Canada drop the puck just after 8 p.m. on Thursday night for the 4 Nations Face-Off crown.

This article first appeared on NHL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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