Matthews day-to-day with upper-body injury, out vs. Bruins
Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Auston Matthews is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury and won't play against the Boston Bruins, the team announced Tuesday.
Matthews has five goals and 11 points through 13 games this season, and he leads the league in shots on goal with 56. He missed time in training camp due to an "upper-body thing," as described by head coach Craig Berube.
"He's been fighting through it a bit," Berube said Tuesday, according to Postmedia's Terry Koshan.
Matthews' injury isn't related to his past wrist issues, Berube added. He underwent surgery on his wrist before the 2021-22 season.
Here are the new-look lines Toronto used at Tuesday's practice without Matthews, according to The Athletic's Jonas Siegel:
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew Knies | Max Domi | Mitch Marner |
| Max Pacioretty | John Tavares | William Nylander |
| Bobby McMann | Pontus Holmberg | Nick Robertson |
| Steven Lorentz | David Kampf | Ryan Reaves |
Matthews led the NHL with 69 goals in 81 contests last year and had 107 points. He has won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's top goal-scorer in three of the past four seasons, and he claimed the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in 2022.
The Maple Leafs named Matthews team captain in August, replacing John Tavares.
Toronto has lost its last eight regular-season games against the Bruins. The Leafs' last regular-season win over Boston came on Nov. 5, 2022. Matthews scored both goals in a 2-1 victory.