Auston Matthews will miss another game against the Washington Capitals this season due to injury.
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube announced, per Sportsnet, that Matthews will miss the team’s next two games due to an injury that has already kept the high-scoring pivot out of 11 games this season. The Leafs play the Detroit Red Wings on the road Friday and then return home to host the Capitals on Saturday night.
“He’s doing better,” Berube said. “We’ll update you tomorrow, but he’s doing better, which is good. I can’t give you any more than that.”
Matthews’ latest stint out of the lineup started two games before the recent holiday break. The 27-year-old center received a cross-check to the back from Buffalo Sabres defenceman Dennis Gilbert on December 20.
The injury kept him out of Toronto’s first clash with the Capitals this season on November 13. The Maple Leafs sent their captain to Germany shortly after that game to seek answers for the injury. He returned on November 30 and had played 11 games without incident until the game against Buffalo.
Matthews has 23 points (11g, 12a) in 24 games this season.
The Maple Leafs, with a 21-12-2 record, are second in the Atlantic Division, two points behind the Florida Panthers, and fourth in the Eastern Conference overall despite Matthews’ extended absences this season.
