Team USA defenseman Charlie McAvoy was ruled out for Thursday’s 4 Nations Face-Off final against Team Canada.
The Boston Bruins issued a statement confirming McAvoy’s status on Tuesday after he missed Team USA’s 4 Nations Face-Off loss to Sweden on Monday night.
“Charlie was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital on Monday to undergo testing related to an upper-body injury sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off and is currently being evaluated by Boston Bruins Head Team Physician Dr. Peter Asnis. He will not play for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off Championship Game on Thursday at TD Garden. The Boston Bruins will provide further updates on his condition and status as soon as they become available.”
He was a central figure in Team USA’s 3-1 win over Team Canada on Saturday. He had left shoulder surgery in 2022.
McAvoy is the son-in-law of Team USA head coach Mike Sullivan and is serving as assistant captain on the 4 Nations roster. He missed seven games in January with an upper-body injury and returned to action Jan. 30.
McAvoy, 27, delivered a teeth-rattling check on Team Canada’s Connor McDavid that set the tone in the Team USA victory.
He was out of the lineup Monday along with Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk. Tkachuk (lower-body injury) was injured against Team Canada and Matthews (upper-body soreness) is expected to play Thursday. Team USA lost to Sweden, 2-1, and lost Brady Tkachuk to a lower-body injury in the first period when he crashed into a net post.
“Brady obviously had a lower body injury,” Sullivan said Monday night. “We held him out more for precautionary reasons at that point. I haven’t got an update to this point after the game yet, so we’ll see how he responds. But I don’t anticipate it being an issue.”
–Field Level Media