Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews will not play in Saturday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, head coach Craig Berube confirmed Friday.
Matthews is slated to miss his sixth consecutive game due to an upper-body injury and he’s currently on injured reserve. He was placed on IR retroactive to November 3 on November 8, and has been eligible to return since November 10.
Matthews did not take part in Friday’s practice. The 27-year-old participated in Saturday morning’s optional skate, and took part in shooting drills, where he appeared to be moving and shooting with his usual form and velocity.
“No setbacks,” Berube said Friday via Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun. “We’re doing what we can. We have two games in a long stretch here of time, so we’re just letting him recover.”
Toronto is 4-1 during Matthews’ five-game absence, coming off a thrilling 4-3 comeback victory over the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.
Matthews recorded five goals and 11 points in 13 games this season, while primarily paired with Matthew Knies and Mitch Marner. Marner has elevated his game during this stretch, and could potentially be asked to drive his own line when Matthews returns to the lineup.
Toronto is preparing for Saturday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, which was previously billed as a showdown between Matthews and Connor McDavid in prime time.
Matthews should have ample time to fully recover from the injury, as Toronto has three games in the next eight days: Saturday’s tilt against the Edmonton Oilers, a Nov. 20 home game against the Vegas Golden Knights, and a Nov. 24 home game against the Utah Hockey Club.
Despite the winning stretch, Toronto has struggled to generate 5-on-5 offence without Matthews, with Marner, William Nylander (second in the NHL with 12 goals) and John Tavares all taking on an increased share of the workload.
