Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
Published on Thursday, May 2, 2024 12:28 pmEDT
Last updated Thursday, May 2, 2024 2:43 pmEDT
TORONTO-Auston matthews He was back on the ice at Scotiabank Arena.
That won’t be the case when his Maple Leafs once again face elimination on Thursday night.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe said after the morning skate that the star sharpshooter would not be available for Game 6 with Toronto trailing 3-2 in its first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins.
matthews He was pulled from Game 4 due to illness and did not dress in the 2-1 overtime road win at TD Garden as the Leafs kept their hopes alive.
The 26-year-old center, who led the NHL with the league’s first 69-goal regular season in nearly three decades, skated Wednesday and again Thursday for about 30 minutes before Toronto’s playing group took the ice.
But the team’s best player will have to watch once again with the Leafs, who were without star winger William Nylander for the first three games of the best-of-seven matchup, again on the brink.
“It’s the nature of the game, the nature of the sport,” Leafs captain John Tavares said of dealing with big-name absences. “The boys responded very well the last game. We have to play together as a group, everyone stepping up and doing more.
“No man tries to fill his shoes.”
Game 7, if necessary, would be Saturday in Boston.
Three-time winner of the Maurice (Rocket) Richard Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer, matthews He had a monster three-point Game 2 to help Toronto even the series 1-1, but didn’t look like himself two nights later in a 4-2 loss.
He then missed practice on Friday for what the team initially called “maintenance.” matthews he was on the ice Saturday morning before Game 4 and attempted to go for it before doctors took him out of action in the second intermission of a disappointing 3-1 setback that left no room for error.
The Leafs have a pair of wins without matthews in 2023-24, including a 7-0 regular-season win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in mid-December.
“It just shows the strength of the group and the importance of the group,” Keefe said. “Not expecting others to do the work, but just doing your part and then trusting that the group will find a way to prevail in the end.”
Leafs rookie winger Nick Robertson said there’s a “despair aspect” without matthews in the lineup.
“Realizing that we don’t have a scorer with almost 70 goals,” he said. “We have to find a way to produce and play well.”
Toronto is 1-16 all-time when trailing 3-1 in a series, but Boston blew the same lead last season in the first round against the Florida Panthers.
Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said the Leafs showed what they are capable of without matthews in Game 5.
“A tremendous player, the best scorer in the league since he arrived,” he said. “Great player, but they played very well without him.”
matthews He became the first NHL player since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96 to reach 69 goals, coming just one shy of becoming the ninth in history to reach 70.
Keefe was asked before Game 5 if there was anything other than an illness bothering his sharpshooter, but he declined to answer.
“Each player stepped up and played a different role, maximized their opportunity,” said rookie forward Matthew Knies, who scored the overtime winner in Game 5. “We’ve got a lot of guys in this room that can make a difference. “step forward when you call them by name.” .”
Tavares, who sat out most of the 2021 postseason after suffering head and neck injuries in Game 1, said it’s hard not to be in battle with his teammates.
“You work for this all year long, from the offseason to training camp and earning a spot in the playoffs to compete for the Stanley Cup,” he said. “It’s what motivates you and having the opportunity to be there to compete and help your team, especially when you make the trip all year long.
“Is not easy.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 2, 2024.