Mike Sullivan’s Team USA has been dominating the ice as they proceed to the finals of the 4-Nations Championship against Canada. Despite the fact that they lost in their last round-robin match to Sweden, who came from behind after being initially down, due to Samuel Ersson’s 31 save effort, this did not dampen the spirits of the team. The U.S. had already qualified for Thursday’s match against Canada, who defeated Finland in the earlier game of the day. Sweden was eliminated after the Canadians did their magic, so now only the finals are left and the Americans are ready for them.

But as the team approaches the championship, things aren’t all smooth sailing. Due to the injuries of some of the players, Mike Sullivan provided a fairly realistic information about the state of Brady Tkachuk and a couple of others before the crucial match. There is concern, but Sullivan is as optimistic as the team gets ready for the match against their rivals.

In the post game conference, Mike Sullivan was asked about Brady Tkachuk’s injury, and he said, “Brady obviously had a lower body injury. We held him out more for precautionary reasons at that point. I haven’t got an update to this point after the game yet, so we’ll see how he responds, but I don’t anticipate it being an issue.”

He went on to talk about the challenge of losing players early in the game, adding, “Yeah, it’s not easy. We lose a guy that early in the game. We’re already down one. We try to spread the minutes around a little bit, so nobody got an extensive workload, but when you’re down two guys that early in the game, it is what it is.” Despite the setbacks, Sullivan praised his team’s resilience, saying, “I thought the guys kept them apart.” It’s clear he’s confident in the squad’s ability to bounce back and stay focused for the championship.

Mike Sullivan also gave some insight on Charlie McAvoy and Auston Matthews, who were both sidelined with injuries. He shared, “Nothing that I can give you right now. You know, Charlie obviously is right now, he’s out with an upper body injury. The same, Austin was more banged up or nicked up. I should say. We’ll probably have more information tomorrow with those guests.” It’s clear the team is staying tight-lipped for now, but fans are eagerly waiting for any word on their recovery. Hopefully, we’ll know more soon as the big game against Canada approaches!

Team USA received a blow—literally—when Brady Tkachuk fell in the early minutes of their 2-1 defeat to Sweden. The guy was flying down the right circle, tried to stop, suddenly lost his balance and fell on top of Swedish goalie Samuel Ersson and in the process, and took the net with him. In the second period, he was declared unfit to play, thus, reducing the U.S. bench by one star. But Tkachuk wasn’t the only key player missing in action. Charlie McAvoy was not on the ice today, and turns out, it is due to an upper-body injury, and his availability for the championship game is now a big question mark.

And then there is Auston Matthews, who also missed the game against Sweden, raising a few eyebrows. But let us face the reality–it is logical. The guy is already experiencing some stiffness in his upper body, and what he doesn’t need is to aggravate the situation just before the finals. And yet, Mike Sullivan doesn’t need no new players!

Mike Sullivan denies getting new players!

Another interesting turn of event came when Canada was able to influence the NHL and NHLPA to approve Thomas Harley as a replacement after Shea Theodore was injured and another defenseman got sick. But now, the same situation is coming for Team USA, and the question is, will they attempt the same play? In their 2-1 defeat against Sweden after having qualified to the finals, the U.S. left on the bench some of the big guns. There were some key players missing in the line up, including Matthew Tkachuk, Captain Auston Matthews, Charlie McAvoy, and Brady Tkachuk missed most of the game. It would be reasonable to assume that things started getting a little tense.

As anyone could imagine, the fans and the reporters began to speculate–would Team USA be the next to employ Canada’s strategy? However, Mike Sullivan quickly dismissed that idea with a positive perspective. “Not really, you know where we’re hopeful. We’re going to get some of these guys back. So you know I would anticipate we would. We’ll have to wait and see how things play out here over the next day or so,” the Pittsburgh Penguins coach said after the game. It seems like he is counting on the fact that his team will be able to recover in time for the final battle.

But let us be honest—these men are not those ordinary players. Matthews, Tkachuk, and McAvoy are great players for Team USA, and to head into the finals without them? That is a bitter medicine to swallow. If they are not prepared to take to the ice, it could change the whole perspective of team formation.

So, what’s your take? The question is whether Team USA can stand up to the competition without these players or whether Canada will have the upper hand? Drop your thoughts in the comments!