It is now official, we will have another showdown between Canada and the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and it will be in the grand final.

That sets the stage for Thursday night.

There is an important element to note for Team USA, as the player who has probably been their most valuable forward since the beginning of the tournament, Matthew Tkachuk, will miss tonight’s game vs Sweden due to a lower-body injury.

This is obviously very bad news for Team USA and a concerning development ahead of Thursday’s grand final against Team Canada.

It is a situation to closely monitor.

Matthew Tkachuk is injured: a major concern for the United States before the final

We recall what Team USA’s head coach, Mike Sullivan, said following Tkachuk’s most recent game (a game the forward did not finish).

“He is currently being evaluated by our doctors,” Sullivan said after Saturday’s game. “That’s all I can tell you. We will make the decisions that we believe are best for Matthew and for our team. Right now, I don’t have much information, so it’s difficult for me to say more.”

He even took himself out of the game:

While Team USA is at risk of losing Matthew Tkachuk’s services, Team Canada has officially regained the services of the best defenseman in the world, Cale Makar, who was not in the lineup last Saturday at the Bell Centre against these same Americans.

That could change everything.

Speaking of the United States, also note that they have given their number one goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck, the night off for tonight’s game against Sweden.

It is therefore expected that he will be back in net for his team on Thursday.

Additionally, top defenseman Charlie McAvoy is dealing with an injury and could miss Thursday’s game, which would be a major blow for Team USA.