Matthews (upper body) traveled to Germany to see a specialist and is hoping to play either in Sunday's matchup with Utah or in a Nov. 27 clash with the Panthers, David Alter of The Hockey News reports.
Matthews will miss his seventh game in a row when the Leafs take on the Knights on Wednesday but seems to be trending in the right direction. In 13 appearances this year, the 27-year-old center has notched five goals and six helpers, including four power-play points, in 13 outings. With David Kampf (lower body) and Calle Jarnkrok (groin) also on IR, the team will be forced to deploy youngster Fraser Minten in a middle-six role against Vegas.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Remains unavailable
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Matthews (upper body) won't play Wednesday against Vegas, David Alter of The Hockey News reports.
Matthews will miss his seventh straight game, and he hasn't been skating. Still, head coach Craig Berube insisted during Monday's media availability that the star center isn't getting worse while remaining in a holding pattern for his recovery. Matthews has compiled five goals, 11 points, 56 shots on net, 19 blocked shots and six hits in 13 appearances this season. His next chance to return comes Sunday against Utah. John Tavares and Max Domi have been serving as Toronto's top two centers during Matthews' absence.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Won't play versus Edmonton
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Matthews (upper body) will not be in the lineup against the Oilers on Saturday, Darren Dreger of TSN reports.
Matthews will miss his sixth straight contest as he continues to be hampered by an upper-body issue. The Leafs have soldiered on in his absence, going 4-1-0 without their world-class center. Max Domi has been slotting into the first-line center role without Matthews in the lineup but could drop back down to the third line or shift to wing when Matthews returns.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Not skating
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Matthews (upper body) has not skated since the weekend and remains in Toronto, meaning he'll miss Wednesday's game against the Capitals, Lance Hornby of The Toronto Sun reports.
Matthews was last reported on the ice Saturday, so he does not appear to be trending in the right direction. His absence will reach five games Wednesday, and at this point, he's questionable at best to play Saturday versus the Oilers. The Maple Leafs have just five games over the next 15 days, so there should be plenty of chances for him to get into a full practice ahead of his eventual return.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Doubtful for Tuesday
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Matthews (upper body) is doubtful for Tuesday's game against Ottawa, David Alter of The Hockey News reports.
Matthews has missed the last three games and didn't participate in Monday's practice. He has amassed five goals, 11 points, 56 shots on net and 19 blocked shots through 13 outings this season. With Max Pacioretty (lower body) joining Matthews on the injured reserve list, Connor Dewar could make his season debut versus the Senators on Tuesday.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Skating Saturday
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Matthews (upper body) is skating for the first time this week at practice Saturday, according to David Alter of The Hockey News.
Matthews is on injured reserve and will not be eligible to play Saturday versus Montreal, but this bodes well for Tuesday's tilt at home against Ottawa. The 27-year-old superstar has five goals and 11 points in 13 games this season.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Placed on injured reserve
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Matthews (upper body) was put on injured reserve Friday, retroactive to last Sunday.
Matthews was already ruled out for Friday's game against Detroit, but this move also makes him ineligible for Saturday's tilt versus Montreal. The good news is that there hasn't been any setback in his recovery, and his placement on injured reserve is instead for roster management, allowing Toronto to activate Connor Dewar from LTIR in a corresponding move, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic. With that in mind, the door might still be open for Matthews to be activated in time to play Ottawa on Tuesday. The 27-year-od has five goals and 11 points in 13 appearances in 2024-25. Max Domi, Matthew Knies and Mitch Marner are projected to compromise the first line during Matthews' absence. Once the Leafs' star center is healthy, Domi might shift off the first unit.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Not playing Friday
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Coach Craig Berube said that Matthews (upper body) would not be available for Friday's home game versus Detroit. according to David Alter of The Hockey News.
Matthews has been unable to practice the last two days, so it's no surprise that he won't be in the lineup Friday. He has to be considered doubtful for Saturday's game against Montreal. The reigning Rocket Richard Trophy winner has only five goals in 13 games this season.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Not at optional skate Friday
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Matthews (upper body) was unavailable for Friday's optional skate, according to Terry Koshan of The Toronto Sun.
Matthews missed Tuesday's game versus Boston and has not practiced since then, putting his status for Friday's game versus Detroit in serious doubt. Matthews has five goals and 11 points in 13 games this season, as the superstar center has gotten off to a slow start.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Not at practice Thursday
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Matthews (upper body) was a non-participant at practice Thursday, Jonas Siegel of The Athletic reports.
Matthews missed Tuesday's game against Boston and should be considered questionable at best for Friday's game against Detroit, as well as Saturday's tilt at home versus Montreal. The three-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner, Matthews is off to a slow start with only five goals and 11 points in 13 appearances this season.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Won't be available Tuesday
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Matthews is day-to-day with an upper-body injury and will miss Tuesday's divisional matchup against the Bruins.
It's unclear when Matthews picked up the injury, but he'll miss at least one game. The star center has produced five goals and six assists over 13 outings this season. Max Domi will slot in on the top line between Matthew Knies and Mitch Marner as a result of Matthews' absence.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Sends power-play helper
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Matthews produced a power-play assist, three shots on goal and two blocked shots in Sunday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Wild.
Matthews has six points over his last five games, but his helper Sunday was his first power-play contribution in that span. The center is up to 11 points, 56 shots on net, 19 blocked shots and a plus-2 rating through 13 contests overall. Matthews hasn't quite found his finishing touch, but he's still putting well over four shots on net per game, so there's no reason to be worried about his scoring.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Three-game, five-point streak
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Matthews scored a goal and added an assist in Thursday's 4-1 win over Seattle.
His point streak stands at three games and five points (two goals, three assists). Matthews' goal was an empty netter; he fired four shots. He continues to lead the NHL with 51 shots (11 games), and he also continues to be unlucky. Matthews has a 9.8 shooting percentage this season, which is significantly below his career mark of 16.0. His time will come; be patient.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Seven points in last six games
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Matthews scored a goal and added an assist in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Bruins on Saturday.
Matthews tied the game at 18:43 of the third when he redirected Mitch Marner's pass from the right point. However, a turnover by an exhausted Matthews in the extra frame resulted in Boston's game-winner. Matthews got off to a slow start this season, but he has seven points, including four goals, in his last six games. He's been seriously unlucky -- his 9.5 shooting percentage is well below his 16.1 career average and almost half his 18.7 percent success rate from last season. Matthews will heat up soon, especially if his shooting pace remains strong. He has a league-leading 42 shots on net through nine outings.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Nets PP goal Monday
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Matthews scored a power-play goal in Monday's 5-2 win over the Lightning.
Matthews endured a tough start to the season and went pointless over his first three outings, but he's responded admirably with a three-game point streak, notching three goals and two assists in that span. This time, the star center scored Toronto's second goal with a wrister less than two minutes into the second period, and that would end up being the game-winning goal. It's worth noting that three of Matthews' five points have come with the man advantage, and he'll aim to keep that streak alive Tuesday on the road against Columbus.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Four points in last two games
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Matthews scored a goal in Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Rangers.
Matthews spun off Adam Fox behind the net, skated into slot and shot past Igor Shesterkin's right pad. He almost got another a couple of minutes later, but the Rangers netminder stretched out and made a toe save. Overall, he had nine shots on goal. Matthews played like he had the puck on a string whenever he had it, but Shesterkin won the duel Saturday. The superstar pivot has four points (two goals, two assists) in his last two outings and 28 shots in five appearances.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Three points in win over Kings
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Matthews notched an even-strength goal and two power-play assists in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Kings.
Matthews hadn't registered a single point in his first three games of the season despite racking up 15 total shots, but he snapped that drought with an impressive outing Wednesday. Matthews is too talented to be held off the scoresheet like he was in the first three games of the campaign, and he should remain an absolute menace when the Maple Leafs take on the Rangers on Saturday. Matthews is coming off a career-best season in 2023-24 where he posted 107 points across 81 games, tallying 69 goals and 38 assists.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Back in action Saturday
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Matthews potted a power-play goal and added an assist on the man advantage in Saturday's 3-2 preseason win over Detroit.
Matthews had been nursing an upper-body injury since playing in Toronto's exhibition opener against Ottawa on Sept. 22, but he didn't skip a beat in Saturday's matchup. His slap shot tied the game in the second, and he found John Tavares in the slot for the winner early in the third. Matthews has put up at least 106 points in two of his last three campaigns, and he came within a goal of the 70-goal threshold in the 2023-24 regular season.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Practices again Saturday
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Matthews (upper body) practiced Saturday with Toronto's non-game group, per Nick Barden of The Hockey News.
Even if Matthews misses the final two preseason contests, he should be ready for Opening Night on Oct. 9 against Montreal. He said he was "feeling good" after Friday's practice, according to TSN's Mark Masters. The 27-year-old Matthews amassed 69 goals and 107 points in 81 regular-season outings in 2023-24.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Won't play Thursday
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Matthews (upper body) will not be in the lineup versus Montreal on Thursday.
Matthews' upper-body injury has been classified as minor, but it's still just preseason, so the Leafs have no reason to rush him back into action. Given the number of veterans suiting up Thursday, it seems likely Matthews would have played had he been 100 percent. As of yet, there is no reason to worry Matthews won't be available to play versus Montreal on Oct. 9.
