BOSTON -- Team USA's Matthew Tkachuk and Canada's Brandon Hagel traded punches on Saturday night. Ahead of their rematch in the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off championship game on Thursday in Boston, they're trading words.

Hagel said Tuesday that his fight with Tkachuk off the opening faceoff -- one of three fights in the first nine seconds of Team USA's electrifying win in Montreal -- was done "for the flag and not the cameras." He also called out U.S. players J.T. Miller and Matthew and Brady Tkachuk for preplanning their fights against Canada via group chat.

"We don't need to initiate anything. We don't have any group chats going on. We're going out there playing our game and then giving it everything and doing it for our country," Hagel said, via Sportsnet. "We're just going to play as hard as we can and do it for the flag on the chest."

Matthew Tkachuk was asked about Hagel's comments on Wednesday morning.

"Maybe their team doesn't like each other then, if they don't have group chats," he said.

Tkachuk and Hagel are rivals in the NHL, as Tkachuk plays for the Florida Panthers and Hagel skates for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

"That's just a player enjoying his opportunity. Our team does not care about anything that they say. There's been a lot of chatter and talk from individuals, but we care about one thing in this room," Tkachuk said. "We have millions of people that are watching us and supporting us around this country and we're very prideful in playing for them. So it's an opportunity of a lifetime for us."

U.S. coach Mike Sullivan said that both Matthew and Brady Tkachuk -- who was under the weather Wednesday and missed practice -- will be available for their game against Canada.

Matthew Tkachuk missed Team USA's game on Monday vs. Sweden out of injury precautions, after being unable to finish the game against Canada because of a lower-body injury. Brady Tkachuk was hurt in the first period against Sweden after he lost an edge while driving to the net and slammed his side into the goal cage. He returned to the ice for a 14-second shift later in the period but did not play the rest of the game.

"I think Brady and Matthew have the ability, through their personality, to give our team a whole lot of confidence and swagger," Sullivan said. "I know what this tournament means to them personally and how important it is to put our best game on the ice. There's a certain determination that those guys have to want to win."

Matthew Tkachuk said he's "very confident" his brother will be at "his absolute best" against Canada. The Tkachuks have flanked Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel on a line for the Americans.

Both Tkachuk brothers have been open about what a 4 Nations championship -- and a second win over archrival Canada -- would mean for hockey in the U.S.

"It's something that we don't take for granted. The millions of people supporting us and the generations before us -- and the generations that we could add to -- and the kids that are watching at home that want to be us, we could open up a whole new wave of hockey players in this country," Matthew Tkachuk said. "So this opportunity is one we don't take lightly. Obviously, wearing the jersey and representing your country is such an incredible honor and kind of what we play for, but the opportunity that we have tomorrow is something that I don't even think we thought was possible and what we could create."

CHICAGO -- The owners of the NBA's Bulls and NHL's Blackhawks received the go-ahead to transform the area surrounding the United Center on Wednesday after the Chicago City Council approved a $7 billion plan to replace the parking lots with green space, mixed-income housing, a music hall and more.

The 1901 Project, touted as the largest private investment in Chicago's West Side, is being spearheaded by the Reinsdorf and Wirtz families, who own the arena. It is to be built in phases on more than 55 acres of privately owned land over about a decade-long period.

"Today is a historic moment for the West Side," Bulls CEO Michael Reinsdorf said in a statement. "This project is more than just development. It's a bold and unprecedented commitment to the future of our community. We are excited for the opportunity to reimagine what the future can look like. Our team is eager to get to work and turn this vision into reality."

The first phase calls for a 6,000-seat theater, multilevel parking facilities with rooftop greenspace, more pedestrian-friendly sidewalks and bike lanes, and hotel and retail space. Plans for future phases include housing and transportation enhancements.

"We set out to do something with no existing blueprint," Blackhawks chairman Danny Wirtz said. "Our commitment is to create spaces that empower all generations, fostering a thriving community that enhances the cultural and economic fabric of the West Side."

The approval for this project comes at a time when the NFL's Bears and MLB's White Sox -- also owned by the Reinsdorfs -- are looking to build new stadiums with public funding.

The Bears are trying to build an enclosed stadium next to Soldier Field as part of a reimagined museum campus. They also own a 326-acre tract of land in suburban Arlington Heights that could also be the site of a future home, and have looked at the old Michael Reese Hospital site on the near South Side.

The White Sox are looking to move out of Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side and construct a new stadium as part of a ballpark village in the city's South Loop with green spaces, residences and businesses.

For a tournament that had its fair share of skeptics, the 4 Nations Face-Off has been a smashing success. The viewership has been sky-high, including many who are new to hockey. And for the first time in a long time, the NHL was compared favorably to the NBA by many sports media members on the backdrop of an underwhelming NBA All-Star Weekend.

Part of the reason is that the NHL and the International Olympic Committee have not been able to come to an agreement to let the league's players participate in the Olympics since 2014, robbing fans of more than a decade of best-on-best hockey. Given the performances of Canada's three-headed monster, the emotional games between European rivals and the donnybrook that broke out in Canada-United States game, everyone can agree that best on best really is best for the sport. That trend will continue with the Olympics in 2026 and a return of the World Cup of Hockey in 2028.

The stars showed out in this tournament, and the rematch of Saturday's fight-filled, Mach speed U.S.-Canada game awaits. Social media was wild on Saturday night, and one can only imagine what the temperature will be on Thursday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+/Disney+), when it isn't a round-robin game, or what the temperature might be at the Olympics when the game really matters.

Here's a look at the players who stood out the most -- for good or bad reasons -- from all four teams in the round-robin, using a combination of game score and scouting. We lead off with that aforementioned three-headed monster for Canada:

Erling Haaland was dropped to the bench for Manchester City's Champions League playoff second-leg loss to Real Madrid on Wednesday.

Kylian Mbappé scored a hat trick as Haaland -- who didn't even participate in warmups ahead of the game, looked on at the Bernabeu -- as Madrid eased past City and into the round of 16 of the competition with a 6-3 aggregate win.

City were in need of firepower in attack as they looked to overturn a 3-2 deficit from the first leg. However, manager Pep Guardiola opted to leave club top scorer Haaland, who has made only five substitute appearances in his City career, on the bench.

After the game, Guardiola said Haaland tried to go, but was physically unable.

"Erling yesterday tried to train after the last action against Newcastle," said Guardiola. "With the images [scans] we have done it was fine, but he had discomfort walking up the stairs. We spoke and he said he doesn't feel good. We tried."

City face leaders Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday, and it will be a race to fitness for Haaland to be ready for that game.

Haaland scored against Madrid for the first time in their previous meeting -- with two sides having met in the Champions League knockout stages in each of the past three years.

The Norway international has eight goals in nine games in the Champions League season, the third-best mark in the competition.

Premier League leaders Liverpool needed Trent Alexander-Arnold's second-half equaliser to secure a 2-2 draw at Aston Villa on Wednesday that lifted them eight points clear at the top.

Liverpool had the incentive of opening up a 10-point lead with a victory and led through Mohamed Salah's 28th-minute opener before Villa turned the game on its head before half-time with goals by Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins.

Diogo Jota struck the crossbar for Liverpool after the break before Alexander-Arnold's deflected shot levelled it up.

Substitute Darwin Núñez missed a glorious chance to restore Liverpool's lead and Villa almost nicked it in stoppage time with Donyell Malen's shot shaving the post.

Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk expressed his frustration at missing out on the win, but it was hardly a damaging result for Arne Slot's side who remain in control of the title race.

Second-placed Arsenal will take some heart though as they now have a game in hand and can shave the gap to five points with a victory at home to West Ham United on Saturday before Liverpool go to Manchester City on Sunday.

"We are a bit disappointed, we had the chances to win the game and took a bit of a risk at the end," Van Dijk said. "We take a point and move on. We have a big one on Sunday."

Liverpool had lost only one of their previous 14 Premier League clashes with Villa and looked in the mood to continue that domination in the early stages at Villa Park.

Villa keeper Emiliano Martínez was forced into an early save, Tyrone Mings made a crucial block and Liverpool forward Jota miscued a header wide.

Liverpool did have a scare when Marcus Rashford, making his first start for Villa since joining on loan from Manchester United, saw his cross deflected into the net but he had strayed marginally offside in the build-up.

Villa's sloppiness proved costly as Andrés García panicked under pressure and passed straight to Jota, who unselfishly squared for Salah to clip a shot into the roof of the net.

Liverpool's lead was short-lived though.

In the 37th minute Rashford curled a free kick into a crowded penalty area and the ball eventually dropped for Tielemans, who struck a volley past Alisson.

Jota wasted a glorious chance to restore Liverpool's lead almost immediately, getting his angles all wrong when through on goal. Liverpool's early energy levelled off though and Villa grabbed the lead in first-half stoppage time.

As Liverpool backed off, Villa worked the ball to Lucas Digne who had time to pick out Watkins with a cross that the England striker headed past Alisson.

Liverpool were rocked but rediscovered their tempo after the break and shortly after Jota struck the crossbar with a long-range shot they were level. This time Salah turned creator as he played inside to Alexander-Arnold whose shot took a sizeable deflection off Mings to leave Martinez wrong-footed.

Núñez came off the bench to replace Jota but, rather than become the hero, he was guilty of a miss that left Slot shaking his head in disbelief on the touchline, launching a shot over the bar with the goal at his mercy.

"You can understand there's one person in the dressing room that feels quite, quite down. You know who that is I think," Slot said in reference to Núñez's shocker.

Had Malen's effort crept in at the death, the door may have creaked open a little for chasing Arsenal, but Liverpool emerged relatively unscathed from a dangerous fixture.

Pep Guardiola said Manchester City must now fight to qualify for next season's Champions League after Kylian Mbappé's hat trick for Real Madrid sent the Premier League champions crashing out of the competition before the Round of 16.

The elimination at the hands of holders Madrid ensured that former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach Guardiola would not reach the Round of 16 for the first time in his coaching career.

Mbappé's hat trick sealed a 3-1 second-leg win for Real, and 6-3 on aggregate, to book a clash against either Bayer Leverkusen or Atletico Madrid in the next round.

With City now out of the competition and 17 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, Guardiola said his team must now focus on securing a top-four finish in England to be in Europe's top club competition next season after admitting that Madrid deserved to end his team Champions League hopes.

"We couldn't defend well with the movement from Mbappé and it was more difficult," Guardiola said. "The best team won, they deserve it.

"We have always done a group stage in Champions League seasons -- finals, semifinals, but this season in all competitions we have not been good.

"I have the feeling we were better than Real in the previous three seasons, but this time they were better. They deserve it. What we have to do is accept it and move forward.

"We have 13 games in the Premier League to try and be here next season. Nothing is eternal.

"We have been unbelievable and we have to try. We cannot win the league and we have to be in the top four or top five to try to be here again."

City have faced Madrid four times in the Champions League knockout stages since 2020, winning two ties and losing two ties including this one. And Guardiola said that this defeat did not hurt as much as previous losses to Madrid because his side were unable to compete over the two legs.

"It's ok to accept the reality that they were better," Guardiola said. "In previous seasons when we were playing outstanding, it hurts more than today.

"I always ask of my teams that the team who deserves to win wins all the time but that doesn't happen in football.

"It's the reality, so we must reflect on the good things we have done. "We have time to think about it [the team's future]. Now it's easy to say, but it's not the point.

"Losing 2-3 at home was hard to swallow, but even with a good result, I know how good they are. With time, the team and club will accept what it is."

Next up for City is a high-profile Premier League matchup with leaders Liverpool on Sunday. The status of star striker Erling Haaland, who was unable to play against Madrid on Wednesday due to injury, is in doubt for that game.

MADRID, Spain -- Kylian Mbappé sealed Real Madrid's 6-3 aggregate victory over Manchester City with a hat trick at the Santiago Bernabéu as the reigning European champions booked their place in the UEFA Champions League round of 16.

Real, seeking their sixteenth Champions League title, went into the second leg of the playoff with a 3-2 lead over the Premier League champions after last week's win at the Etihad. And with City forward Erling Haaland fit enough for only a place on the substitutes' bench, Carlo Ancelotti's team made easy work of the 2023 Champions League winners.

For City, their miserable season continues, and the club now have only the FA Cup as a realistic chance of silverware as they go into Sunday's clash with Premier League leaders Liverpool seventeen points behind Arne Slot's side. -- Mark Ogden

Mbappé delivers on the kind of night he dreamt about

Mbappé had already played in some big games for Real Madrid. There'd been two Clásicos and two Madrid derbies, and he faced Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan and Liverpool in the league phase. But this was his first big game. At Real Madrid -- where standards are higher than anywhere else -- that means a Champions League knockout tie, against another top club, ideally with a vibrant second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu.

And tonight, Mbappé emphatically delivered. This is why he joined Madrid. Having previously experienced what can happen on a European night at this stadium -- Mbappé put Paris Saint-Germain ahead here in March 2022 before a second-half Karim Benzema hat trick sent Madrid through -- he's now on the other, happier side of the equation.

Mbappé's first-half performance against City was ruthlessly efficient. He needed just 14 touches to take five shots. Two of them were goals, with an xG (expected goals) of 0.73. And what goals they were. The first was lofted, unerringly, and first-time, over Ederson after Raúl Asencio's long ball.

The second came after a flowing move involving Jude Bellingham, Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo, before some nimble Mbappé footwork. In the second half, a deserved hat trick was completed, stepping inside to stroke a shot, left-footed, into the bottom corner. Those early-season doubts about Mbappé's adaptation feel an awfully long time ago.

His goal scoring record in Champions League knockout games is staggering: 24 goals since 2017, including tonight's hat trick. No player has scored more. That's why Madrid worked so hard to bring Mbappé here. And there'll be plenty more big nights to come. -- Alex Kirkland

Time catching up with Man City

The signs have been there for a while, especially during the worst season of Pep Guardiola's nine-year reign as Manchester City manager, but this dismantling at the hands of Real Madrid offered indisputable evidence that time has caught up with this City side.

City offered no resistance as Real cruised to victory, and Guardiola's side were as passive as perhaps ever before. But take a look at the squad on duty, and it is easy to see why this group of players -- a group that has won so much -- has come to the end of the line.

Kevin De Bruyne, City's talisman for so many years, is now 33, and injuries have taken their toll on the Belgium midfielder to the extent that he didn't even start this must-win game.

John Stones, 30, has spent 10 weeks on the sidelines due to various injuries this season and the England defender is now facing another spell out of the team after lasting just eight minutes in the Bernabéu before limping off with another injury.

And in midfield, the 34-year-old Ilkay Gündogan must have wished he never returned to City on a free transfer from Barcelona last summer after being left chasing shadows by his Real opponents.

Bernardo Silva, another 30-year-old, was also anonymous on a night when Real looked hungry, energetic and full of belief -- none of which applied to City.

The Champions League is always the true test of a top team, and City have been found wanting this season. They only just sneaked into the playoff round after finishing 22nd in the initial stage of the competition, and Real have now given them a brutal reality check. -- Ogden

Valverde is more than just a stand-in right-back

Carlo Ancelotti once jokingly said that Federico Valverde is the world's third-best right-back, after Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vázquez. But maybe it's time to ask: was Carlo underselling it? Because make no mistake, the Uruguayan -- nominally a central midfielder -- is an outstanding full-back. He might just be a long-term candidate for the role at Real Madrid (as ESPN colleague Gab Marcotti has argued in the past) if he weren't so important in midfield.

Valverde's display against City, and some theoretically testing opponents in Savinho and Omar Marmoush, was effortless. One second-half tackle, diving in to dispossess Marmoush, got one of the biggest cheers of the night from the Bernabéu crowd. Valverde even recovered to make a technically perfect block of a cross -- arms behind his back to avoid any chance of a handball -- inside the area moments later. The once shy, soft-spoken Valverde is now one of this team's leaders, wearing the captain's armband with Carvajal, Vázquez and Luka Modric out of the side.

He's also endearingly modest. "We know I'm playing there because others are injured," he said prematch when asked about the challenge of filling in at right-back.

"I think I've done quite well. If I don't get opportunities in midfield in the future, I'll play at full-back!" -- Kirkland

Khusanov not ready for the big time

Abdukodir Khusanov has had a nightmare start to his Manchester City career since arriving from Lens in January, and it continued for the Uzbek defender against Real. Since having a debut to forget against Chelsea last month, the 20-year-old has found the going tough in the Premier League, and his confidence is clearly on the floor.

But with injuries hitting hard at the Etihad, Pep Guardiola had no option but to select Khusanov in his starting team against Real.

Khusanov is still a youngster learning the game and ordinarily wouldn't have been thrown in at the deep end to the extent that he has been since arriving at the club. But just imagine his mood at being tasked with the challenge of marking Vinícius and then having to deal with Mbappé when the hat-trick-scoring Real forward fancied a run down the Real left.

He also had to contend with Bellingham playing in his area of the pitch, but despite his workload, he was rarely helped out by his teammates. He needs time out of the team so he can adjust to the demands of his new club before his confidence is shattered beyond repair. -- Ogden

After a slow start, Madrid are back among UCL favourites

Madrid's performance in the league phase was underwhelming and unworthy of a team that had never failed to progress from the old group stage. Beaten by Lille, AC Milan and Liverpool and only a string of late wins -- against beatable opposition in Atalanta, RB Salzburg, and Brest -- secured a place in the playoffs. Madrid looked like a deeply flawed team, beset by injuries and unable to balance the twin demands of accommodating Mbappé, Vinícius, Bellingham and Rodrygo with maintaining a functioning defensive unit.

Just a couple of months later, it's a different story. Yes, the caveat: Manchester City aren't very good. And it would be unwise, therefore, to draw too many broad, sweeping conclusions. But some of the doubts about this Madrid side have been dispelled over these two legs.

The defence is much more solid, with Asencio improving all the time, alongside an already-fit Antonio Rüdiger. Valverde, as discussed above, is arguably an improvement on Vázquez at right-back. In midfield, Aurélien Tchouaméni might have put in his best display of the season against City on Wednesday, and Dani Ceballos continues to exceed expectations.

Most importantly in attack, the "Fantastic Four" are flying. Madrid's second goal, with all four forwards involved, was an example of what they can do. Mbappé looks a different player to the one who started the season, and both Vinícius and Rodrygo have tended to deliver in key Champions League games. The suspension of Bellingham for Madrid's round-of-16 first leg, after picking up a booking Wednesday, is the only concern. But you'd rather that suspension comes now than later in the knockout phase.

Overall, Madrid head into the last 16 back where they belong: among the favourites to win this competition. -- Kirkland

Haaland's fitness is a worry for City

Haaland wasn't fit enough to start against Real Madrid, but the Manchester City striker didn't even take part in the prematch warmup, so how bad is the Norwegian's knee injury?

That will be the question worrying City's supporters and also intriguing Liverpool ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash at the Etihad because the initial verdict from City boss Guardiola was that the knee injury sustained against Newcastle United at the weekend wasn't a concern.

Haaland was substituted late in the game against Newcastle after going down unchallenged before clutching his right knee. He looked visibly worried but was able to walk off the pitch following treatment, so Guardiola attempted to allay fears over the forward's fitness after the 4-0 win.

But having taken no part against Real, in a game City had to win after losing 3-2 in the first leg, means that there is an issue that Guardiola is worried about. Haaland was named as a substitute, perhaps as a last throw of the dice if the game was close in the final stages, but his failure to even warm up before or during the game has raised more questions than answers. -- Ogden