Major lineup changes for Team USA on Monday.

A pair of huge regulation wins in the Four Nations Face-Off tournament has already cemented Team USA's spot in the final of the tournament and it is perhaps for that reason that we are seeing some major lineup changes from the Americans on Monday.

According to multiple reports, Team USA will be making 3 major lineup changes ahead of their game against Team Sweden on Monday evening, so significant in fact that some believe Team USA may be deliberately sandbagging in an attempt to make it more difficult for Team Canada to advance to the final.

First let's look at the 3 lineup changes.

1. Connor Hellebuyck (out) - Jake Oettinger (in).

The first and arguably the biggest change for the Americans on Monday will be their goaltending swap. The Winnipeg Jets star has been far and away the most dominant goaltender at this tournament but he will get the night off tonight with Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger stepping in for a game.

2. Charlie McAvoy (out) - Jake Sanderson (in).

McAvoy has been a force on the blue line for Team USA through the first two games of this tournament but with McAvoy recently welcoming a child into the world it seems that the staff at Team USA feels he has earned the night off. With Team USA head coach Mike Sullivan being the grandfather of that newborn baby, this one makes perfect sense.

3. Matthew Tkachuk (out) - Chris Kreider (in).

This is the only lineup change that doesn't appear to be a choice on the part of Team USA with Tkachuk currently dealing with a lower body injury. Tkachuk was glued to the bench for the majority of the third period against Canada on Saturday night and it makes all the sense in the world to give him the extra time to recover in the hope that he will be ready for the final.

There has been talk that Team USA could seek to sabotage Team Canada's chances of making the final, avoiding a rematch against their biggest rival in the process, and today's changes are certainly very interesting given the position that Team USA currently finds themselves in.