With Mitch Marner already on the shelf, the Toronto Maple Leafs could be without another of their best forwards after Auston Matthews was labeled a game-time decision for Thursday's tilt with the Washington Capitals.
Matthews is dealing with an illness, head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed after the morning skate.
“It's going to be on how he feels throughout the day,” said the bench boss, per NHL.com's Dave McCarthy.
Matthews was absent at the skate and replaced by Max Domi on the top-line, who centered Tyler Bertuzzi and Marner. The latter was just a placeholder; Marner has missed eight games with a high ankle sprain and will be out for at least Thursday's game and Saturday's trip to Buffalo to play the Sabres.
It would be a monumental loss if Matthews is unable to go; the assured Rocket Richard winner has missed just one Leafs game in 2023-24. He's up to 59 goals and 93 points in 70 games.
“Matthews leads the NHL with 59 goals, one from becoming the ninth player in NHL history with at least two 60-goal seasons,” wrote McCarthy on Thursday.
“He scored 60 in 73 games in 2021-22, when he won the Rocket Richard Trophy, Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award. He had one goal and nine shots in 23:44 of a 6-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, which extended his point streak to five games (four goals, seven assists).”
Auston Matthews could miss just second game of campaign
The only other game the American superstar has missed was a 7-0 shellacking of the Pittsburgh Penguins back in mid-December — with the same ailment. He's been a durable player throughout his career and especially this season, and has been the best player on the roster — at least offensively — most nights.
If Matthews is unable to play, Domi will see an increase in ice time and could also get a bump to the top powerplay unit.
“Of course, it's an adjustment when your best player is out of the lineup,” explained the son of Leafs legend Tie Domi. “When anybody is out of the lineup, but I think we've done a great job all year of guys stepping up when they have to, and we just have to continue to do that.”
Keefe also provided an update on D-man Morgan Rielly, who missed Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils with an upper-body injury.
“He just remains day to day,” Keefe explained, per McCarthy. “We're hopeful he's going to bounce back here. The one thing that is good is once he gets through this day or two here, it's not going to be a lingering situation. It's not going to be an injury that's ongoing. Once he's past it, he's past it so we just need to give him some time.”
The injuries are starting to pile up in Toronto, and the Capitals are in the midst of a surge that's seen Alex Ovechkin's club win six times in seven tries dating back to March 14.
The hope is that Auston Matthews — the greatest scorer in today's NHL — will be able to suit up against maybe the greatest goal scorer in league history at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday.
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