Cale Makar returns against Finland in do-or-die game for Team Canada at 4 Nations Face-Off

Team Canada superstar Cale Makar will return to the lineup for Monday afternoon's must-win game against Team Finland.

The Avalanche defenseman missed Saturday's 1-3 loss to Team USA because of an illness. He was listed as a game-time decision for Canada's third and final round-robin game, though he said he would do everything he could to suit up.

The 2017 NHL draft's fourth overall pick took the ice for warmups and Hockey Canada confirmed that he would officially return to action on Monday in Boston.

Makar should once again see a heavy workload against Finland. The 26-year-old led the team with 28:06 minutes of ice time in Canada's tournament-opening win over Team Sweden.

He's widely regarded as the best defenseman in hockey, having produced 63 points (22 goals, 41 assists) in 57 games this season. His dynamic combination of speed, skill, and hockey IQ will give Team Canada a massive boost with their tournament on the line against Team Finland.

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Cale Makar's absence was felt on Saturday night against Team USA

As we all would've expected, Team Canada missed Cale Makar on Saturday.

Team Canada could not generate much offense from its blueline without Makar and Shea Theodore. The latter suffered an upper-body injury during Canada's overtime win over Sweden and was ruled out for the remainder of the tournament. Josh Morrissey, the primary source of offense on Canada's D-core, was tasked with a much bigger load. Makar's return should open things up for Morrissey and the rest of the team against the Finns.

Cale Makar will resume his duties on the top defense pairing with Colorado teammate Devon Toews to support the number one power-play unit - Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, and Sam Reinhart.

Defenseman Thomas Harley will be a healthy scratch after being called into action at the last minute on Saturday night against the US. Forward Seth Jarvis will also come out of the lineup, with Travis Konecny taking his place on the fourth line.

Team Canada and Team Finland face off on Monday afternoon with everything on the line. The puck drops at 1 p.m. EST at TD Garden in Boston.