It was a tough night for the Canadians indeed. Going from being the beefiest side in the 4 Nations Face-Off to losing to the Americans on home ground, hasn’t been an easy pill to swallow. And yet, many had already predicted this would happen. Not having the 2022 Stanley Cup winner Cale Makar in the starting lineup proved to be a blow to the gut that Team Canada couldn’t recover from on Saturday night. But don’t discount the country’s best defenseman just yet!

The USA vs Canada match of the international hockey tournament was every bit as exhilarating as it was projected to be. From three fist fights within the first ten seconds of the game to the visitors’ thundering 3-1 victory, the match had everything. Many attributed the disappointing loss to the absence of Makar, who missed the game due to an illness. However, the Avalanche star could be bringing the heat again, and soon!

On Sunday, Cale was seen skating on the ice with the extras. While he missed last night’s epic showdown with the Americans, Makar looked determined to get back to his A-game for the remainder of the Four Nations. On February 16, in a short clip shared by Sportsnet on X, the NHL star talked about the chances of him being on the roster for tomorrow’s game against Finland.

“I’m going to do everything I can to play tomorrow. I just got to make sure I feel right, body and everything wise, and go from there,” Makar said. He also got honest about how it was to miss the high-octane match from last night. “I mean, incredibly hard. Obviously, you grow up as a kid dreaming about that game, especially being played on Canadian soil. So, probably one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” said the defenseman whose pulling out was announced as a game-time decision after he missed the team practice on Friday due to poor health conditions.

But Cale isn’t giving up right now. “I just got to make sure myself feel good and ready to go, hopefully,” Makar said about how he’s harnessing all of his willpower to be the blueline pillar at the TD Garden tomorrow against the Finns. Optimistic words also came from head coach Jon Cooper. “We’re on top of everything. I know if he can go, he’s going to go,” the HC was quoted saying in an article on Sunday.

However, it’s not like Team Canada went into Bell Centre without tapping into its reserves to compensate for Makar’s absence. Thomas Harley was announced as the emergency standby defenseman amidst audible confusion from the fans. And yet, all the backup plans couldn’t help the Canadians to hold the first when the American wave slammed against it last night.

Cale Makar’s absence hit the Canadians where it hurts

Three seconds into the USA vs Canada game in Montreal, Matthew and Brady Tkachuk already had their gloves off and got into two separate slugfests with Brandon Hagel and Sam Bennett. The brothers got sent off the ice and the home team got the first power play of the night. The match resumed, only to be paused again seconds later, this time because of the on-ice bout between J.T. Miller and Colton Parayko. It was evident that emotions, and tempers, were running high. Was it just a reaction from the Americans after the crowd at the Bell Center booed the USA’s national anthem for the second time in the tournament? Could be.

However, Oilers star Connor McDavid, being the captain he is, tried to use his skill to win the game instead of getting into fistfights with the opponents. The Edmonton forward opened up the scoring with a goal that was truly worthy of every applause available in the dictionary. But the lone goal couldn’t ensure a victory as the USA’s Jake Guentzel scored twice in the first and third periods, while Dylan Larkin put his name on the scoreboard in the second.

“…it sucks it didn’t go our way, but it seems far from over,” said the heartbroken Canadian captain after the match. But thankfully, his hopes of registering a win over Finland could get a major boost if Cale Makar does make the team for the team’s third match in the 4 Nations Face-Off. The Finns, coming in hot with a 4-3 overtime win over Sweden, will be looking to have their own shot at getting to the final and settling the score with the USA after Thursday’s loss at the hands of Matt Boldy & Co. But will Makar be there to spoil the European side’s plans? We’ll have to wait to see!