Team USA got some good and bad news at its last full practice before Thursday's 4 Nations Face-Off final versus Canada.
The good news was that both Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk were on the ice at Wednesday's practice after they both missed Monday's game against Sweden.
The bad news? Brady Tkachuk did not practice with the team.
On Tuesday, U.S. head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters he expected both the Tkachuk brothers and Matthews to be available for Thursday's championship. Sullivan added that an illness kept Brady out from practice.
Canada vs. USA in 4 Nations Face-Off final on Sportsnet
Fierce rivals Canada and the U.S. collide in Boston on Thursday for the 4 Nations Face-Off final. Full coverage begins on on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT.
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Matthew Tkachuk and Matthews appear to be trending in the right direction, while Brady's status appears to be a little more up in the air.
With Brady absent from practice, Kyle Connor skated in his place on a line with Matthew and Jack Eichel.
Brady exited early against Sweden for precautionary reasons after he slammed into the post while going in on net.
Matthew was asked about his brother's injury on Wednesday and reiterated his brother's desire to suit up.
"[He's] saving everything he has for tomorrow night and I'm very confident he'll be at his absolute best."
Matthew suffered a lower-body injury in Saturday’s fight-filled win over Canada. The 27-year-old skated just 1:13 in the third period after testing out something that seemed to bother him. He appeared to tell assistant coach John Tortorella at one point that he “couldn’t go.”
When asked about his availability for the final, Matthew told reporters he's "ready to go."
"It's going to be an incredible game and I don't want to miss it."
USA forward Vincent Trocheck, who briefly exited Monday's game against Sweden, told reporters he is good to go for Thursday's final.
Finally, Matthews was "battling something," according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman and was given the night off against Sweden to rest. He confirmed on Wednesday that the injury was new and was unrelated to his ailment from earlier this season.
After practice, Matthews said that he's "feeling a lot better."
"There's no way I was missing this game."
You can watch the highly anticipated rematch between the northern rivals on Thursday live on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ with coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT.
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