Team Canada HC Jon Cooper gives optimistic Cale Makar injury update for championship vs. USA

Team Canada will be looking for revenge on Thursday in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game against Team USA. The Americans beat them 3-1 last weekend, but the Canadians didn’t have top defenceman Cale Makar in the lineup.

The Colorado Avalanche star missed the contest due to illness but returned for Monday’s 5-3 victory over Finland. Ahead of the final, head coach Jon Cooper made it clear that Makar should be available once again.

Via Elliotte Friedman:

“Jon Cooper says he sees no reason why Cale Makar wouldn’t be available Thursday.”

Makar returned and didn’t miss a beat. He led all Team Canada players in 23:57 of ice time. He is a massive part of this group and Cooper didn’t think twice about having him on the ice more than any other superstar on this fantastic roster. The States do have a very talented offensive corps as well, which means Makar’s presence will help.

Makar analyzed what he saw from the US last Saturday from the sidelines:

“The U.S. is such a skilled team,” Makar said. “In that game especially, they supported each other so well on the ice and then kind of broke us down in the neutral zone and then were able to get odd-man rushes a couple times. Those are just little things that we’ve got to maybe clean up.”

Other than Makar suiting up in the championship, Team USA is also welcoming back Quinn Hughes, arguably the best defenceman in the NHL alongside Makar. The Vancouver Canucks star has missed the entire tournament through injury but he’s miraculously replacing Charlie McAvoy on Thursday. However, he can only play if the Americans drop below six defencemen.

We saw just how entertaining Team Canada vs Team USA was the first time around, with three fights in the first nine seconds. The crowd will be supporting the Americans this time in Boston, but we should be in for another treat. Hopefully, Makar can make a difference for his country.