Leafs' Berube: Matthews 'fighting through' injury

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is still dealing with the same injury that sidelined the superstar for nine games in November, head coach Craig Berube acknowledged Friday.

"It's tough. He's fighting through it, and he's doing a pretty good job out there on the ice," Berube said after Matthews didn't participate in the morning skate, according to Luke Fox of Sportsnet. "He's producing and playing hard and working, and we just gotta manage it. It'll get better. We just gotta manage it. And that's why he's off the ice today."

Matthews has recorded five goals and six assists for 11 points across 10 games since returning from an undisclosed upper-body ailment.

The 27-year-old visited a specialist in Germany to help treat the injury, which didn't require surgery. He said the issue flared up in preseason and got progressively worse as he continued to play through it.

Matthews, who's a three-time Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy winner, has scored only 10 goals in 23 contests this season after registering a career-high 69 goals with 107 points in 2023-24.

The 2021-22 Hart Trophy winner is also slated to take part in the 4 Nations Face-Off in mid-February as a member of the United States.