Team Canada Set to Scratch Forward to Bring in Sam Bennett Ahead of Star Studded USA Clash
Team Canada is set to scratch a forward to bring in Florida Panthers' veteran Sam Bennett ahead of the star-studded, long-awaited clash against Team USA.
Following an exciting matchup against Team Sweden for the first game of the 4 Nations Face-Off, Team Canada is preparing for its toughest challenge of the tournament.
Indeed, tomorrow night, Canada and the United States will meet on the ice for a game that could become an instant classic for hockey fans.
The rivalry between both countries has been heating up recently, and it should show on the ice.
Team USA's Brady Tkachuk is already gearing up for what he called "the biggest game of his career":
After watching Team USA destroy Finland by a 6-1 score, Team Canada decided to make a change to its lineup going into tomorrow's game.
In a new development, we learned that Sam Bennett will play instead of Travis Konecny, adding some physicality to the lineup against the Americans.
Bennett will join Brad Marchand and Seth Jarvis' line, while Hagel, Point, and Cirelli will form a line.
Per Renaud Lavoie and Elliotte Friedman:
Unfortunately, bad news awaited fans today, as Canada's top defenseman Cale Makar missed practice due to an illness.
With Shea Theodore set to miss the rest of the tournament with an injury, Canada's blue line is thin, and fans are hoping that Makar will be able to take part in the game.
An update on his health should be made before tomorrow's game, but without him, it'll be much harder to beat Mike Sullivan, John Tortorella, and the USA-even without Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes, who had to skip the tournament due to an injury.
If Makar were to miss the game, Canada would send Thomas Harley in his place after he was asked to remain on standby by the organization.
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