Subscribe
Follow Us
Team USA and Team Canada are squaring off in a massive 4 Nations Face-Off tilt. The game started with three fights in nine seconds, sparked by Matthew Tkachuk asking Brandon Hagel to dance. After a two-goal performance against Finland, eyes were on the Florida Panthers star in this game. But in the third period, he missed shifts due to an injury.
Matthew Tkachuk just told the coaching staff he couldn't go, according to Ray Ferarro 😳 pic.twitter.com/d2WOHKuDyr
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 16, 2025
ESPN cameras caught this conversation between Tkachuk and Team USA assistant coach John Tortorella. Analyst Ray Ferraro read Totorella's lips and it looks like he tells head coach Mike Sullivan, “He can't go.” Soon after, JT Miller took a shift in his place.
Tkachuk was a massive part of Team USA's win over Finland but was quiet against Canada. He played 11:10 in this game, compared with 17:47 on Thursday. His line with Jack Eichel and his brother Brady Tkachuk will be important for the Americans to win the 4 Nations Face-Off. Brady was asked by ESPN's Emily Kaplan about his brother's injury after the game.
“I don't know,” Brady said when he was asked if he knew what was wrong with Matthew. “He'll be good to go, I know him.”
Next up for Team USA is a game against Team Sweden on Monday night. The game is meaningless in terms of the tournament, as the Americans are already in the 4 Nations Face-Off Final. But in their first game in front of the American crowd in Boston, they should be flying to start this game.
If Canada beats Finland on Monday afternoon, the North American countries will square off in the title game. It would be stunning if Tkachuk doesn't play in that game considering his history. In Amazon Prime's “Faceoff” documentary, he showed how much treatment he had to go through to play in the Stanley Cup Final. While this is different, there is no stopping a determined Tkachuk.
