Forward Tage Thompson scored another power play goal for the U.S. men’s hockey team but wasn’t able to finish Friday’s game because of a lower body injury.
Thompson, a Buffalo Sabres standout, sat out the third period of the USA’s 6-2 win against Slovakia, but the team said that was done as a precaution.
NBC replays showed that he was slashed and cross-checked earlier in the game.
‘We held him out for precautionary reasons more than anything,’ USA coach Mike Sullivan said after the game. ‘We held him out for a lower body injury. So, we’ll see how he recovers, but I would anticipate him being ready for game time.’
He’s the second player in the upcoming USA-Canada gold medal game who is dealing with an injury. Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby missed Friday’s semifinal against Finland with a lower body injury. His status for Sunday isn’t known at the moment.
Tage Thompson injury update
Sullivan believes that Thompson will be ready for the gold medal game. That game is Sunday at 2:10 p.m. in Milan (8:10 a.m. ET), so he has more than a day to recover.
Tage Thompson stats
Thompson wasn’t named for the 4 Nations Face-Off, though he was a potential injury replacement. He got the call this time because of his size, speed and stickhandling ability. He also scored the winning goal as the USA won gold at the 2025 world championships.
Thompson has three goals and an assist at the Olympics. He scored a power play goal on Friday with a one-timer from the left faceoff circle. He also had an assist on Dylan Larkin’s opening goal.