<p>New Jersey Devils&#8217; Jack Hughes <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/devils-jack-hughes-wants-to-play-with-auston-matthews-at-4-nations-face-off">got his wish</a>, as he practiced on Maple Leafs&#8217; Auston Matthews&#8217; wing to open up Team USA&#8217;s preparation for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. Matthews and Hughes were joined by Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jake Guentzel.</p>
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<p>The trio makes up what some would argue is Team USA&#8217;s top line, but considering the fire-power in the tournament, first, second, third, it doesn&#8217;t really matter. Matthews and Guentzel can put the puck in the back of the net in a hurry, while Hughes will be the facilitator of the line and surely will be showing off his elite vision and patience throughout the two-week event.</p>
<p>Back in December, Hughes went public with his aspirations to play alongside Matthews, which, in the end, was a great strategy to put the bug into Team USA&#8217;s coaching staff&#8217;s ear. Hughes spoke to <a class="text-accent" href="https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/4-nations-face-off/jack-hughes-hoping-to-skate-on-same-line-with-auston-matthews-at-4-nations" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">NHL.com’s Mike Morreale</a> a couple of months ago and let his feelings be known.</p>
<p>“Just seeing him and Mitch Marner do their thing,” Hughes told Morreale. “It’d be fun to play with a guy that has scored [69] goals in the NHL, so even if it’s a few games, that’s something I’m definitely looking forward to … the possibility of that.”</p>
<p>First crack, indeed. Team USA took to the ice on Monday as they&#8217;ll begin their practice schedule this week, with their tournament opener coming Thursday, Feb.13, against a very beat-up Team Finland. Several of Finland&#8217;s key players, specifically on defence, won&#8217;t be available for the tournament.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s a look at Team USA&#8217;s lines at their first practice from Montreal:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="de">Team <a href="https://twitter.com/usahockey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@usahockey</a> lines</p>
<p>Connor-Eichel-Matthew Tkachuk<br />
Guentzel-Matthews-Hughes<br />
Brady Tkachuk-Miller-Boldy<br />
Nelson-Trocheck-Larkin and Kreider rotating</p>
<p>Slavin-Fox<br />
Werenski-McAvoy<br />
Hanifin-Faber<br />
Sanderson</p>
<p>— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) <a href="https://twitter.com/RussoHockey/status/1889003260612419716?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p>Team USA will be without star defenceman Quinn Hughes, who has missed the last four NHL games with the Vancouver Canucks nursing a lower-body injury and won&#8217;t be available for the tournament. Ottawa Senators&#8217; Jake Sanderson has been named to the team in Hughes&#8217; spot and will start the tournament as the American&#8217;s seventh defenceman.</p>
<p>Circle Saturday on the calendar, as Matthews and his American teammates will take on Mitch Marner and Team Canada. Two Maple Leaf teammates and two bordering countries collide &#8211; get your popcorn ready.</p>
<p><strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong></p>
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New Jersey Devils' Jack Hughes <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/devils-jack-hughes-wants-to-play-with-auston-matthews-at-4-nations-face-off">got his wish</a>, as he practiced on Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews' wing to open up Team USA's preparation for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. Matthews and Hughes were joined by Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jake Guentzel.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2106" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="324"></div>
The trio makes up what some would argue is Team USA's top line, but considering the fire-power in the tournament, first, second, third, it doesn't really matter. Matthews and Guentzel can put the puck in the back of the net in a hurry, while Hughes will be the facilitator of the line and surely will be showing off his elite vision and patience throughout the two-week event.

Back in December, Hughes went public with his aspirations to play alongside Matthews, which, in the end, was a great strategy to put the bug into Team USA's coaching staff's ear. Hughes spoke to <a class="text-accent" href="https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/4-nations-face-off/jack-hughes-hoping-to-skate-on-same-line-with-auston-matthews-at-4-nations" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">NHL.com’s Mike Morreale</a> a couple of months ago and let his feelings be known.

“Just seeing him and Mitch Marner do their thing,” Hughes told Morreale. “It’d be fun to play with a guy that has scored [69] goals in the NHL, so even if it’s a few games, that’s something I’m definitely looking forward to … the possibility of that.”

First crack, indeed. Team USA took to the ice on Monday as they'll begin their practice schedule this week, with their tournament opener coming Thursday, Feb.13, against a very beat-up Team Finland. Several of Finland's key players, specifically on defence, won't be available for the tournament.

Here's a look at Team USA's lines at their first practice from Montreal:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="de">Team <a href="https://twitter.com/usahockey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@usahockey</a> lines</p>
Connor-Eichel-Matthew Tkachuk
Guentzel-Matthews-Hughes
Brady Tkachuk-Miller-Boldy
Nelson-Trocheck-Larkin and Kreider rotating

Slavin-Fox
Werenski-McAvoy
Hanifin-Faber
Sanderson

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) <a href="https://twitter.com/RussoHockey/status/1889003260612419716?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
Team USA will be without star defenceman Quinn Hughes, who has missed the last four NHL games with the Vancouver Canucks nursing a lower-body injury and won't be available for the tournament. Ottawa Senators' Jake Sanderson has been named to the team in Hughes' spot and will start the tournament as the American's seventh defenceman.

Circle Saturday on the calendar, as Matthews and his American teammates will take on Mitch Marner and Team Canada. Two Maple Leaf teammates and two bordering countries collide - get your popcorn ready.

<strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="324" data-promotion-id="18983" data-context="web-content-promocard"></div>

Matthews skating between Hughes, Guentzel on Team USA ahead of 4 Nations Face-Off

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