Thanks to its 3-1 win over Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off on Saturday night, the United States punched its ticket to the championship game on Thursday night. It could still play any of the other three teams depending on what happens in Monday's games where Canada plays Finland and the U.S. plays Sweden.
When it comes to the latter game, it is completely meaningless to the U.S. team as there is nothing to gain from winning and absolutely nothing to lose if they do not win. It's spot is set, and nothing that happens will change that.
It should create a situation where head coach Mike Sullivan and his coaching staff are careful with their roster decisions.
The first decision that should be made is that forward Matthew Tkachuk should not play in the game.
Tkachuk exited Saturday's game with an undisclosed lower-body injury and did not play much in the third period. His status for Monday's game remains officially unknown, but there's no purpose for putting him at risk against Sweden.
The Florida Panthers, his NHL team, would also probably prefer to see him get a night off in the tournament.
The small size of the rosters makes it difficult for teams to rest many players, but Chris Kreider (New York Rangers) should get an opportunity to play in place of Tkachuk. The U.S. will need him for the championship game, especially if it is a rematch with Canada.
It might also make sense to give starting goalie Connor Hellebuyck the night off. Hellebuyck was one of the biggest difference-makers in the U.S.'s win over Canada, and he is the one player that could completely swing a winner-take-all game.
He has been a workhorse in the NHL for the Winnipeg Jets over the past six years and has played a ton of hockey. That has continued this season where he is tied for the league lead in games played among goalies, while having also played the most minutes in the NHL.
Even though there are two days off between Monday and the championship, it would not hurt for him to have an extra day off to be as fresh as possible. It would also be a great opportunity for backup goalies Jake Oettinger (Dallas Stars) or Jeremy Swayman (Boston Bruins) to get experience in a best-on-best game. They figure to be mainstays on Team USA in future seasons, and any experience in these games helps.
The U.S. put itself in a prime position by winning its first two games in regulation and has the opportunity to keep itself fresh for the championship. It should take full advantage of that.
