Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews might miss as much as per week of motion with a lower-body damage, coach Craig Berube confirmed on Thursday.
The ahead’s standing was up within the air after he exited within the second interval of Tuesday’s recreation towards Boston following successful from behind by Bruins’ defenseman Nikita Zadorov. Toronto hosts the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday evening.
“[Matthews] could also be again sooner [than a week],” mentioned Berube. “A kind of issues [where] he might are available in a pair days from now feeling rather a lot higher and [we’re] hopefully he is good to go. However we’ll see. Could possibly be so long as per week.”
It was halfway by way of the second interval on Tuesday when Matthews was crunched into the boards, and he instantly sought to retaliate on Zadorov with successful of his personal towards the blue liner. Matthews did not take one other shift and left the Leafs’ bench on the subsequent TV timeout. He didn’t return for the third interval.
There was no penalty known as on the play, one thing Berube did not see eye-to-eye with the referee on.
“I believe it is a penalty, personally,” he mentioned on Tuesday. “I do not prefer it; I do not just like the hit [from Zadorov]. He [Matthews] was in a susceptible place.”
This will likely be Matthews’ first injury-related absence of the season after he was sidelined for 15 video games final yr. The three-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner has 9 objectives and 14 factors in 17 video games this season.
“We performed final yr with out [Matthews] for some time, and it is simply subsequent man up mentality [again],” mentioned Berube. “Guys get a much bigger chew right here, a much bigger position. We’d like a greater workforce recreation.”
Matthews wasn’t the one one who was pressured out of Tuesday’s contest. Goaltender Anthony Stolarz additionally left after the primary interval, throughout which he allowed three objectives on 10 pictures. Berube mentioned on Tuesday he did not assume Stolarz’s problem was severe and declared on Thursday he was “day-to-day.” The netminder is 6-5-1 this season with an .884 SV% and three.51 GAA.
Dennis Hildeby is predicted to start out for Toronto towards the Kings. The Leafs recalled goaltender Artur Akhtyamov from the American Hockey League on Thursday morning to again up Hildeby. In addition they positioned ahead Scott Laughton on injured reserve with an upper-body damage.