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Marie-Philip Poulin injury update: Why Canada captain is not available for USA rivalry game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The first of potentially two showdowns between Canada and the United States at the 2026 Olympics won't feature one of the faces of the tournament.
Canada's Marie-Philip Poulin is out for Tuesday's preliminary round game against the USA, leaving the reigning gold medalists shorthanded against their top competition in the chase for another.
Despite Poulin's absence, however, there is some positive news on her outlook going forward.
Here's what you need to know about Poulin's injury and her status going forward.
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Marie-Philip Poulin injury update
Poulin will miss Tuesday's game with a lower-body injury after she exited against Czechia with an apparent injury to her right leg.
The 34-year-old had a hard time putting weight on her right leg after being hit into the boards and landing awkwardly. She actually returned to the game shortly after but came back off the ice within seconds and did not return again.
While Canada hasn't offered a firm diagnosis for Poulin, she will at least miss Tuesday's contest and has an additional 48 hours to get ready to face Finland in a game that was postponed from Feb. 5 due to an illness that impacted the Finnish roster.
Here's a closer look at how Poulin got hurt and when she could return.
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What happened to Marie-Philip Poulin?
Poulin landed awkwardly on her leg after being hit into the boards by Czechia's Kristyna Kaltounkova during a Canadian win on Monday.
While Poulin was able to return briefly, she had a hard time just getting around and had to exit the game again less than a minute later, seemingly struggling to put full weight on her right leg.
Canada has not shared an official injury diagnosis for Poulin, but the injury is enough to keep her out for at least one game, with the tournament phase of Olympic competition looming.
MORE:Who has the most Olympic goals in women's hockey history?
How long is Marie-Philip Poulin out?
Fortunately for Canada, Poulin is only listed as day-to-day. She has not been ruled out for any game beyond Tuesday's contest against the United States.
It's tough to have a clear picture of Poulin's timeline without any more details about the injury offered by Canada, but the mere fact that she is still considered day-to-day is positive for the team.
After a battle against the USA, Canada faces Finland in its preliminary round finale on Thursday. The quarterfinals begin Friday, though two quarterfinal games will be played on Saturday.
MORE:How Laila Edwards is making U.S. Olympic women's hockey history
Who is Marie-Philip Poulin?
Poulin is the face of Canada's women's hockey and perhaps the face of Olympic women's hockey in general at the moment.
Poulin has 17 career Olympic goals, ranking second all-time, and she has led Canada to three Olympic gold medals in four appearances. Poulin scored the only two goals in the 2010 gold medal game against the United States, despite being only 18 years old at the time.
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