Auston Matthews Addresses Injury Concerns Ahead of Maple Leafs' Crucial Game 5

As the Maple Leafs look to take out the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night in Game 5, they are going to need as much help as possible. The stars are going to need to show up, Anthony Stolarz needs to be his best self, and the team can't get too caught up in their emotions against a nasty and hungry squad.

The main star who needs to focus up and get things going is Auston Matthews.

With only one goal to his name thus far in the series, the team's success is going to need to run through their captain (as well as a couple of other struggling names).

But the concern also comes with if the captain is dealing with an injury. Missing practice on Monday, then leaving early on Tuesday; it could be a huge issue going forward especially with how his season turned out.

Though, he's doing his best to quell any concerns and admitted that why he was absent was that his body said to give it a rest. Literally:

It's a huge relief that he's not dealing with anything serious, and the Maple Leafs can be sure that their captain is going to be as focused and prepared as ever for the potential final game of the series.

But he does need to start putting the puck in the net.

One goal through four games is not the type of production the Maple Leafs need, and along with Mitch Marner, they need to get it going, and quick.

Not to say Matthews isn't contributing to the team, he does have six points but that glaring one in the goal column is causing some trouble. A strong showing and a quick start against the Senators would be the perfect solution to whatever is troubling the captain.

All we can do is wait and see how things play out on Tuesday night, as Game 5 is going to be a good indicator if the Maple Leafs will get into the second round easily enough, or find themselves once again on the precipice of another Game 7.