USA's Brady Tkachuk leaves 4 Nations Face-Off game with injury; Matthew Tkachuk sits out
Editor's note: Follow USA vs. Canada live updates from the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey final.
Matthew and Brady Tkachuk set the tone for Team USA in the opening game against Finland by scoring two goals apiece.
The brothers set a tone against Canada in the second game by starting fights in the opening seconds.
But they didn't get a chance to set a tone against Sweden on Monday night because of injuries.
Matthew (lower body) missed Monday's 2-1 loss after sitting on the bench for a chunk of the third period of the Canada game. Brady wasn't able to finish the Sweden game after he lost his balance in the first period and slid hard into the post.
He went to the dressing room later in the period and returned to the bench. He took one short shift, firing a shot that was stopped by Samuel Ersson, and went immediately to the bench and didn't skate again.
After not returning in the second period, Team USA ruled him out for the rest of the game.
Brady told TNT before the game that there was no way to keep Matthew out of Thursday's championship game — Canada advanced after beating Finland, 5-3 — but now USA Hockey will have to hope both brothers can play.
"We held him out more for precautionary reasons at that point," USA coach Mike Sullivan told reporters about Brady. "I haven't gotten an update to this point after the game yet, but we'll see how it responds, but I don't anticipate it being an issue."
Charlie McAvoy injury update
The USA was already playing a man short in Monday's game because Auston Matthews was a late scratch. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy didn't play, either.
The Boston Bruins said Tuesday that McAvoy was undergoing tests at Massachusetts General Hospital for an upper-body injury and would miss the championship game. The team said it would provide updates on his condition as soon as they were available. The Boston Globe first reported the hospitalization.
Sullivan said he hoped to have updates on McAvoy's and Matthews' upper-body injuries on Tuesday.
This story has been updated with additional information.