Leafs Face Major Setback with Latest Auston Matthews News Before Atlantic Division Showdown

The Maple Leafs recently defeated the Boston Bruins 4-0, showcasing their powerplay and an outstanding team effort without their captain Auston Matthews.

Regretfully, Matthews and Toronto might have to miss the Red Wings game together once more. Due to his ongoing upper-body injury, Auston Matthews did not participate in practice on Thursday, according to David Alter on X:

He might also miss this weekend's games (Friday against the Detroit Red Wings and Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens), according to Chris Johnston of TSN.

Johnston emphasized that Matthews and the Leafs have been closely monitoring his upper-body injury, which kept him out of action for a portion of the preseason. This persistent problem could be a contributing factor in Matthews' slower start to the season by his typically high standards. In 13 games thus far, Matthews has only managed five goals and six assists, which is less than his usual offensive output.

The fact that what appeared to be a fairly minor injury has persisted past one game is concerning. The Maple Leafs and their supporters are eagerly awaiting Matthews' return and are hoping that, whether he is healed or not, it won't have any impact on him for the remainder of the season.

It's still unclear if Matthews will recover in time for a surprise appearance against the Red Wings on Friday, but Detroit must be on guard if he doesn't. They will have to contend with a more formidable and driven squad that has proven they can dominate without the league's top scorer.