Both countries are playing for pride as the final between Canada and the United States is already set.
With Team USA already assured a spot at the 4 Nations Face-Off Final on Thursday, they are being cautious with captain Auston Matthews.
According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, Matthews is set to make Monday's game against Sweden due to upper-body soreness,
"They're calling it upper-body soreness," Friedman said. "There's no concern with him missing the final on Thursday. But they are being cautious tonight."
The Americans will skate a player short with Matthew Tkachuk and Charlie McAvoy will also miss the game due to injury.
With Thursday's final already scheduled to feature the United States and Canada, Monday's game between the Americans and Swedes is solely for pride. However, it's still a surprise to see Matthews out, considering he did take part in the team's morning skate and spoke to the media afterwards,
Matthews has missed a total of 15 games with the Leafs this season due to unspecified upper-body issues. The issue began in the preseason, forcing him to miss time before the regular season even started. While the specifics of the injury remain undisclosed, its recurring nature and impact on Matthews' performance have been a cause for concern throughout the season.
Matthews has acknowledged the frustration of dealing with the recurring injury, especially given his initial hopes that the November break would allow him to fully recover and be healthy for the rest of the season. During that first break, Matthews missed nine games and flew to Germany to see a specialist about the ailment.
It could just be that Matthews is citing rest and not necessarily wanting to himself at risk unnecessarily.
Matthews has 20 goals and 25 assists in 40 games this season. His goal total is far below his typical pace. Last season, Matthews scored 69 goals.
