Team USA's Charlie McAvoy ruled out for 4 Nations Face-Off final ...
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United States defenseman Charlie McAvoy will miss the 4 Nations Face-Off final against Canada on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+) with an upper-body injury.
McAvoy, who plays for the Boston Bruins, sat out Monday's defeat to Sweden in the final round-robin game for the Americans. According to Daily Faceoff's Frank Servalli, the 27-year-old is dealing with an infection related to the injury and was admitted to a Boston hospital.
The Bruins said in a statement McAvoy is being evaluated by their team doctor and is undergoing further testing.
Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes, who pulled out of the tournament earlier this month due to an injury, will be joining the U.S. this week and could be an option, head coach Mike Sullivan said on Tuesday. Another American player will have to be ruled out due to injury or illness in order for Hughes to be available, according to NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly.
McAvoy averaged over 19 minutes of ice time in the two wins for the U.S. during the round-robin portion of the tournament. He was noticeable on the blue line during the 3-1 win over Canada on Saturday, which included a big hit on Connor McDavid in the first period.
McAvoy was one of three Americans to sit out Monday's game against Sweden. Forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Auston Matthews did not play for precautionary reasons as the U.S. had already clinched a spot in Thursday's final.
Brady Tkachuk suffered a lower-body injury in the first period after crashing into the net. Sullivan said Tkachuk was held out for the rest of the game, but did not anticipate his situation would affect his status for the Canada game, which will be held at TD Garden in Boston.
“We're hopeful we're going to get some of these guys back," Sullivan said. "I would anticipate we would. We'll have to wait and see how things play out here over the next day or so. Obviously, there will be contingency planning in the event that we need people."