4 Nations Face-Off Live Blog: USA vs. Sweden

Welcome to the 4 Nations Face-Off. The final round-robin game of the international best-on-best tournament is Monday in Boston saw Sweden defeat the United States 2-1. NHL.com Editor-in-Chief Bill Price was in TD Garden to provide all the sights, sounds and highlights from the game.

10:42 p.m. ET

That's it from Boston -- for now. Sweden holds off the U.S. 2-1 much to the chagrin of the fans who packed TD Garden tonight.

They will be back on Thursday for the main event of main events -- the U.S. vs. Canada for international hockey supremacy.

Of course, the health of Brady Tkachuk is of chief concern for the U.S. We'll see what is said postgame.

We have two days of hype and we will be back on Thursay night for the final game. It should be a blast. I hope you can join.

10:32 p.m. ET

Sam Ersson is turning out to be the story of this game for Sweden, and coincidentally the Flyers goalie is doing it with his NHL coach, John Tortorella, behind the USA bench as an assistant.

He's made 30 saves and we have 5:39 left.

Brock Nelson just had a golden chance for the U.S., but he missed wide on a breakaway.

Tbey just announced a crowd of 17,850 here tonight.

Well, I was wrong about one thing here. I thought for sure Jeremy Swayman would see some time in this game being he's a Bruin, but it's been Jake Oettinger the whole game.

10:23 p.m. ET

The U.S. went to the power play after Erik Karlsson was called for high-sticking NHL.com blogger Jake Guentzel right in the grill with 12:01 left.

Sweden nearly scored a short-handed goal, but Jack Eichel made a great play to get back and stop the scoring attempt.

There has been some good action in this period and the fans are into it, with "USA, USA" chants getting louder and louder, but Sweden is hanging tough, despite allowing 28 shots at this point. Jack Hughes just took the 28th, but Samuel Ersson made the stop.

They are doing bongo cam here in Boston, like they did in Montreal, and once again now "Wipeout." I just don't understand.

10:17 p.m. ET

Jack Eichel just laid a big hit on Leo Carlsson, making his helmet fly out, and this place is alive.

Carlsson, playing in his first game of the tourament, carried the puck through center ice and as he got to the U.S. blue line, he lost control for just a split second, but it was enough for Eichel to lay a clean shoulder to shoulder hit on him.

The "USA, USA" chants are getting louder and louder in here.

We have 12:54 left and it's STILL 2-1 Sweden.

10:10 p.m. ET

It's still 2-1 Sweden after the U.S. kills off a penalty.

Sweden went to the power play when Adam Fox was whistled for cross-checking, much to the fans' chagrin. The DJ played "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett -- not sure if that was for Fox or the ref.

I expect the Joan Jett song to get Shawn Roarke fired up. Many years ago, she played the NHL New Year's Eve party and somehow missed when New Year's came and then played a new song a few minutes after midnight instead of one of her hits, and Roarke has never forgiven her.

Which is funny, because Shawn is not one to hold a grudge.

10:04 p.m. ET

We are 20 minutes away from the end of the round-robin portion of the 4 Nations Face-Off and the start of two days of hype for the U.S-Canada final here Thursday night.

There are some questions for U.S. though, mostly the health of Brady and Matthew Tkachuk. Matthew sat out the game tonight, along with Autson Matthews, and Brady was injured in the first period and - aside from a 14-second shift near the end of the period - didn't return.

Still, the crowd here in Boston has been loud and boisterous, most of it for the USA.

9:48 p.m. ET

We are through two periods and it's still 2-1 Sweden.

Each team is trading barbs, but neither has been able to get one in since Jesper Bratt gave Sweden the lead at 19:04 of the first period.

Of course, paramount for the U.S. is health. Forward Brady Tkachuk was injured in the first period and is out for the rest of the game. Matthew Tkachuk and Auston Matthews also didn't play tonight, meaning the U.S. is down to 10 forwards right now.

The U.S. is outshooting Sweden 21-17, but Samuel Ersson is standing tall in net.

9:38 p.m. ET

The U.S. doesn't convert on the power play, that featured Jack Hughes and Chris Kreider.

Jack Eichel had two glorious chances, but one hit the post and one was gobbled up by Ersson.

The fans are trying to get a "USA, USA" chant going, but there is some nervous energy in here. Maybe it's Tkachuk situation or the fact that the U.S. is struggling with a Sweden team that is playing for pride only.

We have 5:37 left in the second and it's still 2-1 Sweden.

9:29 p.m. ET

Dan Rosen just got official word from USA Hockey that Brady Tkachuk is done for the night. Check out NHL.com after the game for the latest on Brady.

Also, official Wes McCauley is done for the night, too. What the heck is going on out there?

This game is starting to pick up the pace with the teams going back and fourth. And now the U.S. goes to the power play with Filip Forsberg going off for cross-checking with 9:18 left in the second.

9:28 p.m. ET

The U.S. kills the penalty -- barely. Jack Eichel had a bad turnover in the offensive zone that nearly led to a Sweden goal, but Jake Oettinger was able to keep it out.

Speaking of out, it appears Brady Tkachuk is done for the night. Maybe it's a precaution since this game doesn't mean anything, but maybe it's more.

In any event, the U.S. is playing with 10 forwards the rest of the game.

9:21 p.m ET

Rasmus Dahlin and Kyle Connor just exchanged pleasantries on the ice as things start to heat up.

It doesn't appear that Sweden or U.S. is taking this game lightly. It's pretty intense out there.

And now Sweden is going to another power play with 16:00 left in the second period with Noah Hanifin going off for hooking.

Of course, the U.S. can't afford for anyone else to get hurt. They are down two Tkachuks and an Auston Matthews at forward, so they are playing with 10 forwards in this game right now.

9:16 p.m ET

The second period has started and it appears as if Brady Tkachuk is done for the night.

He's not on the U.S. bench, which now only has 11 skaters on it.

Clearly, this will be a big story postgame.

Vincent Trocheck is back, but the U.S. is now playing with 10 forwards.

9:06 p.m. ET

As we wait for the second period to start, we are waiting to see if Brady Tkachuk is going to resume playing.

We said before the game started to key for the U.S. was getting through this game without any injuries. Cleary, any injury to Brady Tkachuk would be massive.

Remember, the U.S. started this game with only 11 forwards, and now it's possible Vincent Trocheck is hurt, too, which would leave the U.S. with nine forwards for the next 40 minutes.

Ok, now the DJ is in full swing, playing the song "Dirty Water" by the Standells. Great song about Boston.

8:59 p.m. ET

The first period is over and it's 2-1 Sweden here in Boston over the U.S.

This goal goes to Jesper Bratt with 55.1 left in the first.

Give Sweden credit. It has nothing to play for, but the team is playing hard.

In fact, there was just a little skirmish in front of the U.S. net.

Of course the big news is the status of Brady Tkachuk, who is in uniform on the bench. He took a 14-second shift when he returned to bench with about five minutes left in the period, but that was it.

Stay tuned.

8:52 p.m. ET

We said a few minutes ago that Brady Tkachuk was back on the bench, but he has not been on the ice yet. He's sitting at right end of the bench opening the door for his teammates.

This is something to keep an eye on.

Some fan in a Sweden jersey just won a contest where he balanced a bunch of pucks on his face. He got booed of course. Then he turned around and displayed the Nylander and No. 88 on his jersey and the boos got a little louder.

Then they showed two guys dressed in revolutionary war costumes. OK.

8:46 p.m. ET

Sweden has tied the game with 6:21 left in the first period on a shot from Gustav Nyquist to somehow slipped under Jake Oettinger.

Now the good news for the U.S., Brady Tkachuk is back on the bench after being gone for a few minutes.

Pretty funny moment during the power play: Victor Hedman lost his footing behind his own net and the crowd let him hear it - I'm sure not because he plays for Sweden, but his ties to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

During the Sweden timeout the DJ played "Ain't Talking Bout Love," by Van Halen. Now we are talking.

8:38 p.m. ET

First the bad news, Brady Tkachuk went down the tunnel after crashing hard into the net. We will keep an eye on him, but right now the U.S. is down the 10 forwards.

Now, even more bad news, after the U.S. fails to score on the power play, Matt Boldy goes off for interference.

The U.S. went on the power play when Elias Lindholm went off for delay of game.

Great job by the DJ, first he played "Goodbye to You" by Scandal and then "Breaking the Law" by Judas Priest.

We only had one penalty in the fist game, so he didn't really have a chance to do any power play schtick.

For the Boldy penalty, the DJ played a song I didn't recognize, and neither did Shazam.

Interesting.

8:33 p.m. ET

The DJ just played -- wait for it -- Boston.

It was "Rock & Roll Band." I'm saying it right now, if I hear "Amanda" I'm outta here.

I'm happy for Chris Kreider. It had to kill him to not play in the first two games of this tournament, and for him to get a goal on his first shift -- in Boston -- well good for him.

8:27 p.m. ET

Zach Werenski is looking like Zach Orrenski out here, flying all over the place.

He already has an assist and two shots on goal.

We heard three Led Zeppelin songs during the first game, so let's see what we get tonight.

The "We Want Canada" chants have begun already. Can we get through this game first?

8:22 p.m. ET

Chris Kreider has entered the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The Rangers forward and Boston guy who was a scratch the first two games, scores 35 seconds into the game, banging in a rebound of a Zach Weresnki shot. Jack Eichel had the othe assist. That's one Boston guy (Kreider) from Werenski, from another Boston guy (Eichel).

And the "USA, USA" chants are loud.

Also, J.T. Miller just laid a hit against the boards, giving an indication that the U.S. is not going to sit back in this game. This place is buzzing.

By the way, Werenski went to University of Michigan, so Nick Cotsonika is bragging about it.

8:20 p.m. ET

Here is the starting lineup for the US.

Jack Eichel, Brady Tkachuk, Chris Kreider at forward
Zach Werenski and Noah Hanifin on defense
Jake Oettinger in goal.

Four of the five - not Werenski - have ties to Boston.

Pretty cool job by coach Mike Sullivan there.

8:02 p.m. ET

We have some more lineup news.

First, the U.S. is going with 17 skaters, six defense and 11 forwards. No Auston Matthews, no Matthew Tkachuk and no Charlie McAvoy.

Sweden is going with 11 forwards and seven defense, with Mika Zibanejad and Rickard Rakell sitting out.

For Sweden, the starters will be:

Adrian Kempe, Lucas Raymond and Elias Lindholm at foward
Gustav Forsling and Erik Karlsson on defense
Samuel Ersson in goal

The "USA, USA" chants have been going in the crowd since the players left the ice.

These fans are very pumped up for this game. I can't imagine what it's going to be like here on Thursday.

7:53 p.m ET

Warmups have ended and the fans are really starting to fill in here.

We had a spy outside of the arena who claimed all the bars were packed with hockey fans getting ready for this showdown. It's possible those bars will be full tomorrow morning with fans counting down to Thursday night.

And hey, in case you were wondering, Santa is here. Well, at least a guy who looked like him.

All kidding aside, it will be interesting to see how the U.S. plays this game. Sure, it wants to stay sharp for the game Thursday, but you also don't want to have anyone get hurt.

I'm not sure we'll see three fights in the first nine seconds, but I do expect an intense game, with the U.S. not only not wanting to lose its edge, but also go undefeated in this tournament.

7:40 p.m. ET

The big question of the day has been answsered. It appears Samuel Ersson will start in goal for Sweden. The Swedish coach would not reveal his plan this morning, much to the chagrin of Shawn Roarke, who went out to BU this morning to find out just that very nugget. There is a Raising Canes right next to the BU rink, but it was too early in the day and Shawn had to get back to TD Garden for Finland-Canada.

For the U.S., Jake Oettinger will start and I would bet we see Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman get some time as well to let him play in front of his hometown fans.

Also, Chris Kreider is in for Matthew Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson is in for Charlie McAvoy. We knew Tkachuk wouldn't play but we're not sure why McAvoy is out.

The U.S. got a huge cheer when it came on the ice. These fans are pumped to see these guys in action and the "USA, USA" chants have started.

Of course, after this one, all eyes will turn to Thursday when the U.S. plays Canada again. Our Nick Cotsonika wrote about the big game coming Thursday, you can read it here.

7:20 p.m. ET

We are about 50 minutes from puck drop in this game, but the championship of this tournament is already decided with Canada defeating Finland this afternoon, 5-3. That means on Thursday night we will get a rematch between the U.S. and Canada. In case you’ve been living under a rock the past few days, the U.S. topped Canada 3-1 on Saturday in a game that featured three fights in the first nine seconds and plenty of hard hits on both sides.

The Canada players tried to downplay the rematch after their win Monday; we will see what the U.S. players say after this one. Forward Matthew Tkachuk, who started the first fight on Saturday, will not play tonight, but should be good to go Thursday. Chris Kreider will play for the first time and defenseman Jake Sanderson will come in for Charlie McAvoy.

The arena is starting to fill up with fans who had to brave a cold and windy day in Boston today. In fact, most of them were in the food court in North Station about 90 minutes from puck drop.

And it was a very pro-USA crowd. We even spotted “Miracle on Ice” jerseys for Jim Craig and Mike Eruzione.

We’ll have any other lineup news when the warmups begin.

NOTE: Standings below are updated after each game.