The 4 Nations Face-Off championship game is set, pitting Team USA and Team Canada against one another again. Their Saturday round-robin matchup started with three fights that lit social media on fire. The rest of the game was a talent-filled classic that ended 3-1 USA. Before the two teams square off in the championship game, the 4 Nations Face-Off ratings are here to review. John Shannon of Sportsnet has the Saturday night numbers.

“Sportsnet: 3.8 Million. TVA (French) 955 K. In Total, 4.75 Million Canadians watched. ABC/ESPN: 4.39 Million in the United States,” Shannon posted on X, formerly Twitter.

TSN's Chris Johnston reported that this game was the highest-rated non-Stanley Cup Final hockey game since 2014. The 4 Nations Face-Off is replacing the All-Star game for this season. Last year, the All-Star game barely cracked 3 million viewers between the two countries.

Thursday's championship game could set a new record on the same channels in both countries. The Team USA vs Team Canada matchup is in Boston while the Celtics play in a nationally televised game against the 76ers. That is tougher competition than the NBA All-Star Saturday Night festivities, which were clowned.

But the conversation around the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game should excite sports fans and create a massive ratings number.

The 4 Nations Face-Off championship game should be epic

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The only issue with the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game is the Team USA injuries. After starting Saturday's game with wild fights, Matthew and Brady Tkachuk both suffered injuries. Head coach Mike Sullivan announced that the brothers are expected to play Thursday. Matthew sat out after missing most of Saturday's third period. Brady left the first period of Monday's game against Sweden.

Auston Matthews is also expected to play on Thursday after leaving the Sweden game early. Sullivan said both the Maple Leafs captain and Brady Tkachuk were held out for precautionary reasons. But the blue line suffered a massive loss, as Charlie McAvoy will not play Thursday with an infection that sent him to the hospital.

The Americans are down McAvoy and the Canadians will get Cale Makar back to their blue line for the championship game. That change will play a big role in the game, especially considering the low-scoring nature of all of the games so far. The 4 Nations Face-Off has been rewarding teams with strong defense and these injuries play a big role.

But the Americans brought their best defenseman back from injury on Tuesday. Quinn Hughes bowed out of the tournament due to an injury but has been named the injury replacement and will play if there is another injury or illness on the blue line.