The Finnish national team announced Sunday that Rasmus Ristolainen will miss the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament due to an upper-body injury. Nikolas Matinpalo of the Ottawa Senators will take his place on the roster.
Ristolainen, a Philadelphia Flyers defenseman, hasn’t played since leaving during the third period of a 2-0 loss to Colorado on Jan. 21. He was listed as a game-time decision for Philadelphia’s last two games but didn’t dress for either.
The 30-year-old has played 54 games this season, recording two goals and 15 points. His 20:31 average ice time leads all Flyers defensemen under John Tortorella.
Matinpalo brings limited NHL experience to the Finnish roster. The 26-year-old has played 22 career games, with 18 coming this season for Ottawa. He’s averaged 12 minutes per game while recording eight hits and 10 blocks in 2024-25.
At the 2023 IIHF World Championship, Matinpalo contributed one goal and two assists in eight games as Finland finished seventh.
Finland’s blue line has faced several adjustments heading into the tournament. Henri Jokiharju and Urho Vaakanainen were previously added to replace injured defenders Miro Heiskanen and Jani Hakanpaa.
Of the 11 Finnish defensemen currently in the NHL, only Winnipeg’s Ville Heinola wasn’t selected for the initial or replacement roster.
The 4 Nations Face-Off begins Wednesday.
