The Toronto Maple Leafs lost 5-3 against the Boston Bruins in their latest matchup, and they also lost forward Auston Matthews in the same game with a lower-body injury. As of now, it's uncertain how serious the injury is, and head coach Craig Berube shared a cryptic update about his status, according to reporter David Alter.
“Craig Berube says they will have to see how Auston Matthews is tomorrow before assessing anything. Doesn’t believe Anthony Stolarz’s injury is serious,” Alter wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Matthews took a hit into the sidelines from behind by Nikita Zadorov midway through the second period. Zadorov was not penalized for the hit.
“I think it's penalty, personally,” Berube said after the game. “But I'm not the referee. I don't like it. I don't like the hit. He was in a vulnerable position.”
Zadarov shared that he didn't think that the hit on Matthews was a dirty play.
“It was just a normal play. I didn't really hit him,” Zadorov said. “I hit my right shoulder, 99% of my hits in the NHL are with my right shoulder… I'm not sure what hit he got hurt (on). Is it like when he went after me again and I counter-hit him? Or maybe when I cleared the puck, I hit him with a puck. There was really no intention to hurt him. I play hard against top players on the other team, that's my job.”
Matthews was one of the first six players named to the U.S. Olympic men's hockey team, and he is the fourth player who has been injured since the announcement.
