Auston Matthews unlikely to play game 5 according to trusted sources

The Toronto Maple Leafs are facing elimination in a must-win game five in Boston, and now it appears they will be without their biggest star.

Many things went wrong for Toronto in a disappointing game four effort, but perhaps the biggest story was Auston Matthews being forced out of the game in the third period. This was due to an illness that he's been dealing with throughout the series, and now it looks like it will cost him game five in Boston.


That report comes from a trusted source in TSN's Chris Johnston after practice lines yesterday suggested that No. 34 could miss the must-win battle. In his place on the top line is Mitch Marner, who slides back into the right wing spot while Max Domi takes up the centre role, and with the offense struggling, this is the worst case scenario for Toronto.



On top of the illness, Johnston has reportedly stated that Matthews may be dealing with an undisclosed injury, with the possibility that he could miss a game six in Toronto if the Maple Leafs pull off the win in game five.


At this point, the odds are stacked entirely against the Maple Leafs, and after the bench blowup in game four, they could use this to turn the series around or fall apart completely, but either way, game five could define this organization for years to come.