Auston Matthews' Status for 4 Nations Championship Game Revealed
Team USA captain Auston Matthews was absent for Monday's game against Sweden, and now his status for the Finals against Canada has been unveiled.
It's going to be the rematch of the decade it feels like with Team Canada vs. Team USA in the Finals of the 4 Nations Faceoff. After what transpired the first time around, things are expected to get even crazier on Thursday night.
So with Auston Matthews out against Sweden on Monday, there was concerns that he could potentially miss the Finals against Canada.
However, according to coach Mike Sullivan: Matthews is going to be good to go.
While it's not set in stone, Sullivan certainly feels confident enough that Matthews will play and barring a catastrophic turn of events (for both USA and the Maple Leafs), will play in the Championship.
Although Sullivan is positive about Matthews, should both Team USA and the Maple Leafs be concerned?
Auston Matthews' Injury Not Serious But Should Raise Eyebrows
It's a relief that Matthews is going to be okay according to Sullivan but how okay is he?
It's the third time he's dealt with injuries this season with the previous two keeping him out of the lineup for 15 games.
It's also just another injury in a long list of ailments that Matthews has suffered over the years.
It's not to say the superstar is made of glass but his propensity to get injured is a bit worrying.
Especially when he has one of the toughest and most heated games of his entire career on Thursday.
Canada is going to show no mercy and his potential to get hurt increases exponentially.
Not to mention he still has 27 games left in the regular season, and with a very tight Atlantic Division race things are only going to get tougher.
Even though he has only played in 40 of Toronto's 55 games this season, Matthews still has a respectable 20 goals and 25 assists but is on pace for some of the lowest numbers of his career.
While he will most likely play for the United States on Thursday against Canada, he's going to have a target on his back.
If he does end up missing, it'll heavily handicap the USA against Canada.
But it might be his saving grace from something much worse.
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![Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates with Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) his goal against Team Finland in the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/529526.webp "Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates with Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) his goal against Team Finland in the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images")
![Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) plays the puck against Team Finland in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/529501.webp "Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) plays the puck against Team Finland in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images")
