Leafs receive some excellent news ahead of tilt with Bruins
Much to the delight of the Leafs' faithful, Auston Matthews was on the ice for the Leafs' morning skate in Boston. Matthews was one of the first players on the ice, along with usual linemate William Nylander. He took line drills between Nylander and Michael Bunting as well and confirmed following the morning skate that he'll play tonight against the Bruins.
Matthews has missed the last two games with an unspecified injury, which is believed to be something that he's been dealing with for much of the season. Matthews had not missed a game yet this season prior to missing Wednesday's game against the Nashville Predators. There was some belief that he may have been okay to suit up in Detroit, but as head coach Sheldon Keefe had reported, Matthews was dealing with an illness on Thursday and couldn't play.
The 2016 1st overall pick's status for Saturday evening's game in Boston was unknown coming into the weekend, as the Leafs had a day off on Friday. Thankfully, Matthews himself confirmed that he was good to go in Boston, which will provide a huge boost for the Leafs, who have not lost to the Bruins since November 15th, 2019.
It's good to see the reigning MVP and back-to-back Rocket Richard Trophy winner back on the ice. There's no denying that the Leafs are a better team with Matthews on the ice than without and this one is an important game for the Buds, with the Bruins still holding the best record in the NHL and a sizeable lead on the Leafs in both the Atlantic Division and the overall league standings. The Bruins (68 points) are 9 points ahead of the Leafs (59 points) with 2 games in hand.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 14 | 88 ANSWERS Leafs receive some excellent news ahead of tilt with Bruins Will Auston Matthews finish the season with 50 goals or more? | ||
| Yes | 48 | 54.5 % |
| No | 40 | 45.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
