Elliotte Friedman Reports on Auston Matthews' Lingering Injury Ahead of the Playoffs
NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman is shedding more light on the ailment of Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews before their playoff opener against the divisional foe Ottawa Senators.
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators are set to battle one another in the famed "Battle of Ontario" for the first time since 2004.
For the Maple Leafs, it will be a chance to dispatch their divisional foe that swept them in their season series; meanwhile, the Senators have the chance to win their 1st playoff series since 2017 and keep Toronto to only a single series win since the aforementioned most recent Battle of Ontario in 2004.
But something on the minds of Leafs fans everywhere is the health of captain Auston Matthews.
He missed missed multiple games this year with an injury and also didn't come close to reaching his mark of 69 goals last year that earned him his third Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy in the last 4 years.
During a recent airing of '32 Thoughts: The Podcast', top NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman shed more light the nagging injury that Matthews was dealing with all throughout the year.
He noted that surgery wasn't an option for Matthews and that it was specifically a muscle ailment that caused him to seek treatment overseas in Germany earlier in the year.
The thing about Matthews was, there were a lot of issues earlier this year.
One of the things I heard was surgery wouldn't solve the problem, it was a muscle thing - at least for the one that he went to Germany for - and the hope was that it would heal and that he would be ready when it matters and I think the Maple Leafs are counting on that and that Matthews has properly tapered it for now.
One of the things I heard was surgery wouldn't solve the problem, it was a muscle thing - at least for the one that he went to Germany for - and the hope was that it would heal and that he would be ready when it matters and I think the Maple Leafs are counting on that and that Matthews has properly tapered it for now.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/m/matthau01.html&ved=2ahUKEwie5raR6uaMAxU5BzQIHeWsCkoQFnoECAoQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2AhF8ww1j1_xOaLu2ZnYDo finished the year with 78 points (33G, 45A) in 67 games. Toronto will need him to be at his best if they are to beat the Senators in the opening round of their series, which begins on Sunday night.
It's a great sign that Matthews is good enough to go through the playoffs, however don't take anything for granted; this is the Stanley Cup Playoffs after all.
Anything can happen.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 20 | 545 ANSWERS Elliotte Friedman Reports on Auston Matthews' Lingering Injury Ahead of the Playoffs Do you think Auston Matthews should get surgery this summer? | ||
| Yes | 404 | 74.1 % |
| No | 141 | 25.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
TRENDING NOW
