Team USA star Auston Matthews, a Bruins rival, paid tribute to Boston fans ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off final at TD Garden.

BOSTON — Team USA will be without an important player in an unimportant game. Auston Matthews will miss Monday’s game against Sweden in the NHL 4 Nations Face-off at TD Garden with upper body soreness.

Matthew Tkachuk and Matthews, both of whom missed Team USA’s loss to Sweden on Monday, were back at practice Wednesday at TD Garden.

McAvoy and Tkachuk did not participate in morning skate for Team USA, which already secured a spot in Thursday's TD Garden final vs. Canada, but Matthews was scratched close to puck drop. Brady Tkachuk was then lost for the night after a first-period collision.

Nations Face Off Championship tournament will conclude with a championship showdown between Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk’s USA squad and Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby’s Canada club at Boston’s TD Garden.

Matthews is tied with Sittler with 389 goals as a Maple Leaf, second to Mats Sundin, and ready to pass the 1970s legend as early as Tuesday night at the TD Garden. Report an error

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews issued a curious admission about Boston Bruins fans and the atmosphere at TD Garden, ahead of Team USA vs Team Canada's clash.

Auston Matthews shared his thoughts on the idea of winning the 4 Nations Cup at TD Garden. The tournament featured Canada, the United States, Sweden, and Finland.

The No. 1 picks from the 2015 and 2016 NHL drafts, respectively, McDavid and Matthews were teased with a version of it as teammates on the made-up Team North America youth squad at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. But until the 4 Nations Face-Off, they had never played for the respective countries at true best-on-best.

Matthews, who is also captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, finished the game with two assists, four shots on goal and three blocks in 20:47 of ice time.

The crowd in Montreal didn't hand Auston Matthews a warm reception, and now Keith Tkachuk has praised Team USA's captain for the reaction he garnered.

McAvoy and Tkachuk did not participate in morning skate for Team USA, which already secured a spot in Thursday's TD Garden final vs. Canada, but Matthews was scratched close to puck drop. Brady Tkachuk was then lost for the night after a first-period collision.