Craig Berube confirms Auston Matthews status ahead of game against Washington Capitals
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube revealed today that Auston Matthews will be out of the lineup as he is still not 100% healthy.
Matthews last played on November 3rd, now more than a week ago in a 2-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild. The Leafs captain recorded an assist in the match. Since then, he has been dealing with an unspecific upper-body injury that has kept him out of the team's last four games. He missed both halves of last weekends back-to-back against the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens.
"[The injury] is just not getting to where it needs to get to. So, we're just trying to manage it and just trying to make sure when he comes back, he's good and 100 percent."
Unfortunately, he is now set to miss his fifth consecutive game according to Craig Berube. It seems as though the team is taking a conservative approach to his recovery, making sure they do not make things worse by forcing him back too soon.
According to NHL insider Chris Johnston, the Leafs are hopeful that Matthews can return on Saturday when the team faces the reigning Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers. Assuming he does get into that one, it would be just the five missed games for the Leafs captain. They have no games on Thursday and Friday.
Matthews is of utmost importance to the team. Not only is he their captain, but he is also their best goal scorer and overall offensive weapon. Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev recently stated that he thinks Matthews can eventually set a new all-time goal record passing Wayne Gretzky and Alex Ovechkin, who will likely pass him soon.
Be sure to tune in tonight as we could get another update on Matthews after the game. If we do not, be sure to pay attention to the team for the rest of the week as we anticipate Matthew's return to the lineup this weekend.
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