Team USA forward Mattew Tkachuk hyped up the upcoming 4 Nations final against Team Canada. The bordering rivals will face off in a rematch from last Saturday’s electric 3-1 win for the Americans, which secured Team USA’s spot in the final. While this clash took place in Montreal, this game for all the marbles will be at T.D. Bank Garden in Boston.
The 4 Nations Face-Off was a tournament created by the NHL to take place during the All-Star break. Instead of playing any kind of All-Star game, an international tournament has been held with the top four ranked hockey nations in the world. The four nations, Canada, Finland, the United States, and Sweden, all played each other in a round-robin, with the top two facing off in the final.
Tkachuk, who sat out with an injury in Team USA’s last round-robin clash against Sweden, got real about the stakes going into this final. The 2024 Stanley Cup winner revealed this in an interview during the Sweden game.
“Stanley Cup, Game 7 aside, this is probably the biggest game we’ve all played up until this point. We have 23 guys who will do everything they can for this game on Thursday. We are so excited about this opportunity and very thankful we have this chance at home to play our biggest rival. It doesn’t matter what happened on Saturday, it’s a fresh start on Thursday, and we can’t wait.”
The 4 Nations Face-Off has been a rousing success for the NHL
The NBA can learn a thing or two about the success of this 4 Nations tournament. The intensity and quality of the games this week have been terrific for the sport of hockey overall. National pride is at stake, and these players are competing at a higher intensity than they did even during the regular season.
Team USA has relied on a balanced attack to this point. Matthew Tkachuk has recorded three points in the two games he’s played in. The 27-year-old is one of the best forwards in the world, coming off a season where he was a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy. And he’s continued this form in 2025 as the Panthers look to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.
Overall, hockey fans around the world cannot wait for Thursday. And even though he was out for Monday’s clash, Tkachuk’s chances of playing seem very high. With the way the forward has been talking about this final, it’s going to take a considerable health setback to prevent him from lacing up the skates against his country’s northern neighbor.
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