Auston Matthews, Team USA's No. 1 center and captain who had some upper body soreness after the win over Canada game on Saturday, joined star forward Matthew Tkachuk and did not play in Monday's 4 Nations Face-Off game against Sweden at TD Garden.
Tkachuk, meanwhile, is a slam dunk to represent Team USA in the 2026 Winter Games. His thunderous performance in the 4 Nations Face-Off makes him a Stars-and-Stripes lock, alongside his brother Matthew.
McAvoy and Tkachuk did not participate in morning skate for Team USA, which already secured a spot in Thursday's TD Garden final vs. Canada, but Matthews was scratched close to puck drop. Brady Tkachuk was then lost for the night after a first-period collision.