Matthews skating between Hughes, Guentzel on Team USA ahead of 4 Nations Face-Off

New Jersey Devils’ Jack Hughes got his wish, as he practiced on Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews’ wing to open up Team USA’s preparation for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. Matthews and Hughes were joined by Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jake Guentzel.

The trio makes up what some would argue is Team USA’s top line, but considering the fire-power in the tournament, first, second, third, it doesn’t really matter. Matthews and Guentzel can put the puck in the back of the net in a hurry, while Hughes will be the facilitator of the line and surely will be showing off his elite vision and patience throughout the two-week event.

Back in December, Hughes went public with his aspirations to play alongside Matthews, which, in the end, was a great strategy to put the bug into Team USA’s coaching staff’s ear. Hughes spoke to NHL.com’s Mike Morreale a couple of months ago and let his feelings be known.

“Just seeing him and Mitch Marner do their thing,” Hughes told Morreale. “It’d be fun to play with a guy that has scored [69] goals in the NHL, so even if it’s a few games, that’s something I’m definitely looking forward to … the possibility of that.”

First crack, indeed. Team USA took to the ice on Monday as they’ll begin their practice schedule this week, with their tournament opener coming Thursday, Feb.13, against a very beat-up Team Finland. Several of Finland’s key players, specifically on defence, won’t be available for the tournament.

Here’s a look at Team USA’s lines at their first practice from Montreal: