Auston Matthews may not be available for the Toronto Maple Leafs in a do-or-die Game 5 playoff situation against the Boston Bruins. Head coach Sheldon Keefe said he was hopeful, and noted his status for tomorrow is “yet to be determined”. Keefe confirmed Matthews will travel with the club and said, “We’ll see what tomorrow brings.”
This is not good news for the Maple Leafs, who are already dealing with the losses piling up and a narrative that the team’s top stars are not getting along.
Matthews, while underperforming compared to expectations, is the one commonality among Leafs Nation and insiders who believe this team needs a serious overhaul if they lose to the Bruins and are eliminated in another first-round exit. To potentially not have Matthews as the team tries to cling to any last hopes of saving their season would be beyond problematic. But, Matthews is dealing with an illness that has forced him to miss several practices, including on Monday. He was pulled from Game 4 by medical staff after the second period.
When Keefe was asked about what’s ailing his superstar, he said, “Not one of those run-of-the-mill, everyday type of illnesses that sort of come and go.” Keefe added, “This one has lingered and the effects have lingered and gotten worse when he’s getting on the ice and asserting himself.”
The Maple Leafs Are Fighting an Uphill Battle
Even if Matthews can go, it sounds clear he won’t be 100 percent. That means, with Matthews in or out of the lineup, the Leafs are in rough shape trying to do something few teams have ever done — can back from a 3-1 series deficit. If Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander were tearing it up, that would be one thing. Unfortunately, Nylander will be playing only his second game of the postseason, and Marner and Tavares have a combined three points in four games.
Mark Masters of TSN wrote, “When Matthews missed Friday’s practice, Dewar skated on top line as a placeholder. That is not the case today Leafs preparing for a scenario where Auston is unavailable for Game 5.”
