Toronto’s Matthews misses 1st pro game

But Maple Leafs win without him

Toronto superstar-in-themaking and second-year center Auston Matthews missed his first NHL game Wednesday night because of an unspecified upper-body injury.

In 16 games for the Maple Leafs this season, Matthews has 10 goals, nine assists to put him in the early season discussion for the lerague’s Most Valuable Player.

Maple Leafs coach Mike Bacock juggled his lines against the visiting Minneaota Wild, with veteran Patrick Marleau moving from second-line left winger to first-line center. Matthews might have missed the game, but neither Marleau not the Maple Leafs missed a beat.

Marleau, signed in free agency in the offseason, scored his sixth goal as a Maple Leaf at 3:47 of second period, giving a Toronto a lead it never relinquished in a 4-2 victory.

Frederik Andersen made 35 saves to backstop the victory.

There was no immediate word on how long Matthews would be out of the Toronto lineup.

Senators

Matt Duchene is expected to make his debut with the Ottawa Senators Friday, and therein hangs a tale.

The Senators acquired the speedy forward from the Colorado Avalanche Sunday as part of a blockbuster, three-way trade that also involved Nashville.

He hustled to Ottawa as quickly as possible and joined them just in time to fly to Sweden where the Senators will open their two-game series against — you guessed it —- the Avalanche in Stockholm.

Blues

Widespread reports said St. Louis made an unspecified offer to 36-year-old Russian forward Danis Zaripov, who has a checkered past.

Earlier this year, Zaripov was banned from the KHL and the International Ice Hockey Federation for two years for doping. The NHL subsequently approved his eligibility for its league in late August because the substance that led to his KHL and International Ice Hockey Federation suspension was not on the NHL’s list of banned substances, and also because Zaripov was not allowed to testify at his hearing for the initial suspension

Zaripov, 36, is a six-time KHL All-Star and was a member of Russia’s 2010 Olympic team. He has played on four Gagarin Cup championship teams, the KHL’s version of the Stanley Cup.

Including playoffs, Zaripov has scored 254 goals with 311 assists in 603 games in nine KHL seasons.

At one point, the Penguins were reported to be in the hunt but nothing ever materialized between team management and the good friend of Penguins superstar forward Evgeni Malkin.

Rangers

In New York’s first 16 games this season, secondyear left winger and college hockey’s 2016 Hobey Baker Award winner Jimmy Vesey had scored two goals.

Wednesday night, the speedy forward scored two in a 29-second span late in the first period that boosted the host Rangers, to a 4-2 win against the Boston Bruins. Pavel Buchnevich and Rick Nash also scored for the Rangers. Patrice Bergeron had a goal and assist for the Bruins, who have been ravaged by injuries.