Should Matthew Tkachuk have sat out 4 Nations final? Mike Sullivan reacts
Team USA had a notable “absence” in their forward group during Thursday’s championship loss to Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off. They didn’t have nearly the best version of Matthew Tkachuk.
The Florida Panthers star played only 6:47 of ice time in Thursday night’s championship game at TD Garden, in which Canada won 3-2 in overtime on Connor McDavid’s deciding goal. Tkachuk was clearly hampered by a lower body injury suffered during Team USA’s win over Canada last Saturday, when he fought Lightning forward Brandon Hagel off the opening faceoff. Tkachuk stayed in the game after the fight, but exited in the third period.
In retrospect, it may have been unwise for Team USA to keep the elder Tkachuk in the lineup. They had healthy reserves in Tage Thompson and Kyle Connor, who sat and watched on the ninth floor. But head coach Mike Sullivan had his guy’s back.
“Matthew Tkachuk has an impact on our team in such a way that even if he wasn’t 100 percent and we weren’t able to utilize him for a lot of the game, his presence on the bench and in the locker room means so much to this group,” Sullivan said. “He’s all heart. He’s a heart-and-soul guy. So isn’t his brother [Brady].
![Feb 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team United States forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) and Team Canada forward brandon Hagel (38) fight in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images](https://985thesportshub.com/uploads/2025/02/USATSI_25429594_168399896_lowres.jpg)
“I think these guys were such a huge part of the leadership group. They’re just high-character people. They have an insatiable appetite to win, and it’s contagious. I think they help our team’s confidence, I think they help build our team’s swagger, and for all those reasons, I was glad [Matthew Tkachuk] was on our bench tonight.”
That’s all great, and it’s certainly admirable that Tkachuk tried to gut it out and give his fellow Americans an emotional lift. But is that alone good enough to basically waste a whole roster spot in a must-win game, when you’re going against the very best players in the world on the other side?
Frankly, this might explain why the team kept Charlie McAvoy in, despite an injury that required more medical attention than it got. And besides, McAvoy seemed to inspire his USA teammates, anyway, when he showed up at TD Garden Thursday night to read off the starting lineup. They couldn’t just do something like that with Tkachuk, instead of suiting him up then playing him less than what you’d expect from an NHL fourth-liner?
Ultimately, do all the calculus, and one has to believe that Thompson or Connor would have netted a greater impact on the lineup in the 4 Nations championship game than a severely limited Matthew Tkachuk.
But that will all be lost to history, anyway. This game will be remembered for how the game’s top superstars performed at the very end.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
