Matthews misses practice as Leafs face elimination
Auston Matthews will be alongside his teammates in Boston.
Whether the Maple Leafs sniper is on the ice with Toronto facing elimination is another massive question mark in a series that’s already featured plenty of lineup secrecy and intrigue.
Matthews didn’t practise as the Leafs prepared for today’s must-win Game 5 down 3-1 in their first-round playoff matchup against the Bruins.
“We’re hopeful that he’s available and feeling good and back to himself,” Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe said following Monday’s 45-minute session. “But we’ve played well with guys out in the past.”
The Leafs certainly looked like a group preparing to put their season on the line minus the NHL’s leading goal-scorer in 2023-24.
Matthews had a monster Game 2 in Boston to even the series, but didn’t look like himself two nights later in Game 3. The 26-year-old then missed Friday’s practice for what Toronto initially described as “maintenance” before getting pulled from Saturday’s defeat in the second intermission by doctors as his team was pushed to the brink.
“Not ideal to be without Auston Matthews,” Toronto captain John Tavares said of the 69-goal man. “One of the best players in the world, but there’s tremendous depth, talent and character on this team. It’s a great opportunity for all of us to step up [and] raise our game, which is already needed and necessary.”
The best-of-seven series began with roster questions on both sides.
Leafs star William Nylander’s status was unclear because of an undisclosed injury until he joined the fray in Game 4.
“I was there,” Nylander said of Matthews. “It’s not fun having issues right now. Hopefully, he’s healthy. Whenever he’s ready, he’s ready.”
The Bruins, meanwhile, have kept everyone guessing on their goaltending choice, although Jeremy Swayman seems likely to get a third straight start Tuesday riding a personal sevengame win streak against Toronto dating back to 2022-23.
The Leafs, who moved Max Domi to the middle between Mitch Marner and Tyler Bertuzzi on Monday minus their No. 1 centre, have actually fared well without Matthews since he came into the league as the top pick at the 2016 draft, going a combined 35-19-2 in the regular season.
But it’s a steep hill in the playoffs minus one of the game’s best for a team that’s scored just seven times in 12 periods and is a miserable 1-for-14 on the power play.
The penalty kill has also been a disaster, with Boston connecting on six of its 13 opportunities.
“Special teams and goaltending are two areas that we have to be better in,” said Keefe, whose team would host a potential Game 6 on Thursday. “They’ve had the edge in those areas in the series and that’s tough to overcome.”