Due to its 3-1 win over Canada within the 4 Nations Face-Off on Saturday evening, the US punched its ticket to the championship sport on Thursday evening. It might nonetheless play any of the opposite three groups relying on what occurs in Monday’s video games the place Canada performs Finland and the U.S. performs Sweden.
Relating to the latter sport, it’s fully meaningless to the U.S. workforce as there’s nothing to realize from successful and completely nothing to lose if they don’t win. It is spot is about, and nothing that occurs will change that.
It ought to create a state of affairs the place head coach Mike Sullivan and his teaching employees are cautious with their roster choices.
The primary determination that needs to be made is that ahead Matthew Tkachuk shouldn’t play within the sport.
Tkachuk exited Saturday’s sport with an undisclosed lower-body harm and didn’t play a lot within the third interval. His standing for Monday’s sport stays formally unknown, however there is not any objective for placing him in danger in opposition to Sweden.
The Florida Panthers, his NHL workforce, would additionally most likely desire to see him get an evening off within the event.
The small dimension of the rosters makes it tough for groups to relaxation many gamers, however Chris Kreider (New York Rangers) ought to get a possibility to play rather than Tkachuk. The U.S. will want him for the championship sport, particularly if it’s a rematch with Canada.
It may additionally make sense to offer beginning goalie Connor Hellebuyck the evening off. Hellebuyck was one of many greatest difference-makers within the U.S.’s win over Canada, and he’s the one participant that might fully swing a winner-take-all sport.
He has been a workhorse within the NHL for the Winnipeg Jets over the previous six years and has performed a ton of hockey. That has continued this season the place he’s tied for the league lead in video games performed amongst goalies, whereas having additionally performed probably the most minutes within the NHL.
Despite the fact that there are two days off between Monday and the championship, it could not harm for him to have an additional time off to be as contemporary as potential. It might even be an ideal alternative for backup goalies Jake Oettinger (Dallas Stars) or Jeremy Swayman (Boston Bruins) to get expertise in a best-on-best sport. They determine to be mainstays on Staff USA in future seasons, and any expertise in these video games helps.
The U.S. put itself in a main place by successful its first two video games in regulation and has the chance to maintain itself contemporary for the championship. It ought to take full benefit of that.
