The Toronto Maple Leafs are down 3-1 to the Boston Bruins in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With Game 5 a win-or-go-home for the Maple Leafs, the status of Auston Matthews is still undecided and it turns out it will be a doctor's decision, per Mark Masters of TSN.
‘Sheldon Keefe on Auston Matthews: “He’s working through things to try to make himself available to play. No determination at this time.” Who makes the call? “It’s always the doctors call.”‘
So, it will be up to the doctor to determine whether or not Auston Matthews can suit up in a must-win game for the Maple Leafs. Matthews has played in all four games of the series thus far. However, he was pulled early from Game 4 as he was having a difficult time dealing with the lingering illness.
Auston Matthews' Game 5 status
Things got even more worrisome for the Maple Leafs as Matthews was absent from practice on Monday, so there is a lot of cause for concern regarding their star player. But, the good news – if there is some — is that Matthews was spotted on the ice skating at TD Garden ahead of Game 5 on Tuesday.
That's certainly a bit of a promising sign, although the final decision won't be coming from Matthews or the coaching staff. Rather, the doctors will make the call.
Matthews is instrumental to the success of the Maple Leafs, and his huge Game 2 winner had fans going wild in what has been the only victory of the series up until this point. His regular season stats were off the charts as well as he scored 69 goals with 38 assists and 107 total points to lead the Maple Leafs.
But, if he isn't able to go for Game 5, it would be a devastating blow to the Toronto team already down 3-1 and facing a tough road game against the Bruins.
The puck drops at 7 PM EST in Boston, so an official status update should be given sometime before then. Whether or not Auston Matthews can play remains to be seen, but will certainly be worth monitoring.
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