Matthews misses practice with illness, status unclear with Leafs facing elimination

 

In Boston, Auston Matthews will be among his teammates.

Another major question mark in a series that has already featured a great deal of lineup mystery and intrigue is if the Maple Leafs shooter is on the ice when Toronto is facing elimination.


In order to prepare for Tuesday's crucial Game 5 against the Bruins in their first-round playoff series, which they are down 3-1, Matthews skipped practice.

 "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 appeared as though they were ready to risk all for their season in 2023–24, even without the league's top scorer.

After a brilliant performance in Game 2 in Boston to tie the series, Matthews didn't seem like himself in Game 3 two nights later. The 26-year-old was subsequently forced to miss Friday's practice due to what Toronto initially termed "maintenance"; when his team was moving close to elimination on Saturday, doctors eventually removed him from the game during the second half.

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.