4 Nations Face-Off: USA, Canada dealing with key injuries

Team USA defenseman Quinn Hughes and Canadian center Sidney Crosby are missing their NHL teams’ final games Saturday before the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

That puts their availability for next week’s best-on-best tournament up in the air, though nothing official has been announced.

Hughes is sitting out for a fourth game with the Vancouver Canucks because of a lower-body injury. He’s the top-scoring defenseman on Team USA with 59 points in 47 games.

‘I honestly at this moment don’t know,’ Canucks coach Rick Tocchet told reporters about Hughes’ status for the international tournament.

Tocchet said Hughes skated hard on Saturday, but the team and player would have to talk in the next 12 to 24 hours about his participation for the USA. Hughes would join his brother, New Jersey Devils forward Jack, at the tournament if he goes.

‘We have to figure this out,’ Tocchet said. ‘The U.S. is going to have to name a (replacement) if he doesn’t play.’

The tournament – featuring the USA, Canada, Finland and Sweden – opens Wednesday in Montreal. The USA’s first game is Thursday.

Meanwhile, Crosby (upper body) is missing his second consecutive game with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He left Tuesday’s game after a collision but returned to the game. After missing practice Wednesday, he has been skating the past three days.

Canada still has to replace Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, who will stay home to rest an injury.

In other 4 Nations injury news, Carolina Hurricanes forward Mikko Rantanen (Finland) sat out Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury.