NHL: Anaheim Ducks at Toronto Maple Leafs - Source: Imagn — Toronto Maple Leafs coach talked about Auston Matthews' re-aggravated injury (Source: Imagn)

Maple Leafs HC gives his honest opinion on level of concern with Auston Matthews re-aggravated injury

Modified Dec 22, 2024 04:55 GMT

Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube spoke about Auston Matthews’ re-aggravated injury on Saturday. Berube is hopeful about Matthews’ recovery but refrained from predicting the level of concern regarding Matthews' injury.

Berube mentioned that he couldn’t provide a definitive update on Matthews' condition. NHL reporter David Alter quoted him as saying:

"I'm not a doctor. I can't answer that question. I'm hoping here with the break coming up, he can get some relief, feel better, be ready to go, recharge. So that's really all I can say about it."

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Matthews missed Saturday’s game against the New York Islanders and likely won’t return until after the holiday break. The injury appeared to worsen during the team’s win against the Buffalo Sabres. A cross-check from Dennis Gilbert may have been the cause, though no penalty was called.

Matthews has already missed nine games this season because of an upper-body injury that was kept private. He even traveled to Germany for an assessment of the injury. Fortunately, the Leafs won seven of those nine games, and Mitch Marner found his form.

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This season, Auston Matthews has played 24 games, scoring 11 goals and recording 12 assists for 23 points. He has been more productive in wins, contributing eight goals and eight assists in 14 victories. In losses, he managed three goals and four assists in 10 games.

The team hopes the break will help Matthews recover and return to full strength. His consistency has been vital to the Maple Leafs’ success. Last season, he scored a career-high 69 goals and led the Leafs' offense. Matthews has 379 goals and 293 assists in 586 career games.

Auston Matthews' presence is crucial for Toronto’s playoff hopes. The Leafs currently have a record of 21-11-2 and are in first place in the Atlantic Division.

Maple Leafs lost 6-3 to Islanders in Auston Matthews' absence

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost 6-3 to the New York Islanders on Saturday in Auston Matthews' absence. The Leafs were not as fortunate as the last time they played without Matthews, when they defeated the Boston Bruins 4-0 in the first game without him.

Maxim Tsyplakov scored first for the Islanders, followed by Bo Horvat, who made it 2-0. William Nylander scored for Toronto, cutting the lead to 2-1. Jean-Gabriel Pageau extended the Islanders’ lead to 3-1.

Nylander scored again in the second period, making it 3-2. Isaiah George restored the two-goal lead in the third period. Horvat added another to make it 5-2. Bobby McMann scored for Toronto, reducing the gap to 5-3. Finally, Mathew Barzal’s empty-net goal punctuated the 6-3 win.