Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews will miss his third consecutive game Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. Head coach Mike Babcock said this on Wednesday after Matthews did not practice. There’s no timeline on when the high-flying centre will return.
#Leafs star Auston Matthews out Thursday against #Wild.https://t.co/5mCAizf4kN pic.twitter.com/RrIAOEeauL
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 13, 2017
The Scottsdale, Arizona native is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury and will miss his third straight game. Matthews took an accidental hit to the head after colliding with Morgan Rielly late in the third period of the Leafs’ 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on December 9.
Matthews finished the game by playing a pair of shifts but has not played since the Pittsburgh game. There’s speculation that the 20-year-old could have a concussion, but team officials have not confirmed it.
Auston Matthews Out Due to Upper-Body Injury
He also missed four games earlier in the season when he suffered an upper-body injury in November. It was later revealed to be a back injury. Matthews is currently averaging a point a game with 13 goals and 13 assists in 26 games this season.
It’s not all doom-and-gloom for Toronto as it’s 5-1-0 in six games without their young playmaker. Toronto lost its first game without the young star forward, 4-2, on Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Leafs sit in second with a 20-11-1 record in the Atlantic Division. The team’s solid play without Matthews will likely allow him time to recover. Babcock is not going to rush his star player back while his team comfortable sits in a playoff spot.
Matthews is in his second season and has racked up 53 goals and 42 assists in 108 career games for 95 points. The first overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft is coming off of a 40 goals and 29 assists season where he played all 82 regular season games. He was one of the key reasons the Leafs made the playoffs for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
DETROIT, MI – APRIL 01: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs prepares for a first period face off while playing the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena on April 1, 2017, in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
