With the 4 Nations Face-Off fast approaching, the competing countries are in the process of locking in their rosters. Finland is one of the four participants in this year's tournament, along with Canada, Sweden and the United States. The Fins are a long shot to win the tourney, as the other three countries are deeper overall. On Sunday, Finland received another blow to its' chances. Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen has been ruled out due to injury, according to hockey insider Chris Johnston on X, formerly Twitter.

“Insane run of poor injury luck for Finland ahead of #4Nations as Nikolas Matinpalo replaces Rasmus Ristolainen, making that three injured defensemen for them,” posted Johnston on the social media platform. “Ville Heinola is the only Finnish ‘D' to play an NHL game this season who wasn't part of the roster at some point.”

Losing three of their original defensemen is a big blow for Finland. Each of their opponents feature deep offensive attacks, and the ability to keep those units in check will only help their chances at surviving the 4 Nations. Ristolainen was undoubtedly set to play a key role in that effort. However, he's now been replaced by Matinpalo. It's definitely a blow to the Fins' talent base, and now they must move forward without one of their leaders. How will all of the parties rebound moving forward?

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The Flyers are currently tied for last in the Metro Division with 55 points. Their Pennsylvania counterparts, the Pittsburgh Penguins, are right alongside them in the basement. They are 25 points behind the Washington Capitals, who lead the division, and 13 points behind the third-place New Jersey Devils, who currently hold the last Metro playoff spot. In the wild card race, the Flyers are six points behind the Detroit Red Wings, who have surged as of late under new head coach Todd McLellan. So, it's safe to say there's still a lot of work to do.

Making the playoffs is possible yet unlikely. The focus for the Flyers and Ristolainen needs to be the future. Right now, the upper body injury he sustained is enough to rule him out of the 4 Nations Face-Off. It's a tough pill for both Ristolainen and Finland to swallow, although now he will have time to recover. Will that time help him get back on the ice for Philadelphia? If so, then perhaps a playoff appearance won't be too far out of reach after all.