Details about Auston Matthews' absence revealed by Elliotte Friedman

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Dawson McKenzie
April 30, 2024 (10:54 PM)

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With Auston Matthews missing the most important game of the season, Elliotte Friedman has just revealed that he thinks there is more going on with the Leafs superstar.

All eyes have been on Auston Matthews' health status since he missed the third period of game 4 in Toronto, and then failed to make it out to practice for the Leafs prior to their elimination game tonight. When he was ruled out of the most important game of the season tonight, some are concerned that there is more going on with Matthews than the Leafs are letting on.

That includes prominent insider Elliotte Friedman, who shared tonight on the Sportsnet Panel that he believes there is more than just an illness affecting Auston Matthews.

"Recognizing that these are the playoffs and we're not going to know exactly what happened until it's over, I don't think this is [illness related]. An illness doesn't last like this, so I think something else developed in the aftermath, whether it be something the fallout from that or an injury - obviously we're not going to know before the Maple Leafs finish their run, but I don't believe that this is the illness [that is keeping Matthews out of the lineup for Game 5]."

The Leafs are currently holding on by a thread against the Bruins as they remain tied 1-1 in the second period. They are definitely missing Matthews' offensive threat, as their struggles on the powerplay have continued tonight.

Bad becomes worse for the Leafs. First a turnover leading to a goal, now they've been given a powerplay

Hopefully, for Leaf fans, tonight isn't the last game of the year and they will get to see Matthews back in action before next season.

As seen on Maple Leafs Daily - Insider reveals the truth about Auston Matthews' absence