The Toronto Maple Leafs could be minus their top goal-scorer and point-getter Monday evening against the visiting Vegas Golden Knights.
Centre Auston Matthews will be a game-time decision, per head coach Mike Babcock, after exiting the morning skate early with soreness. Regular linemate William Nylander slid into Matthews’ spot in the middle.
Auston Matthews did not return to the ice before the skate ended. He lasted about seven minutes, and nothing obvious happened to him.
Babcock said he doesn’t even think issue Auston Matthews is dealing with happened in St. Louis. Guess it has been lingering for awhile.
Matthews, who didn’t record a point in Saturday’s 6-4 loss at St. Louis, has 10 goals and 18 points in 15 games this season for an 8-7-0 Leafs team that is third in the Atlantic Division despite having lost two straight and five of six.
“He’s one of the best players in our league, there’s no doubt,” Vegas head coach Gerard Gallant told reporters over the weekend.
Auston Matthews is too smooth pic.twitter.com/XdARrd4SPX
These were Leafs lines after Matthews left skate:
Hyman-Nylander-Brown
Marleau-Kadri-Komarov
Martin-Bozak-Marner
JvR-Moore-Leivo
Kapanen
The expansion Golden Knights (9-4-0) downed Ottawa 5-4 on Saturday and are 1-3-0 on their six-game road trip that concludes Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens.
Vegas has its own injury issues with its top-three goalies on injured reserve in starter Marc-Andre Fleury (concussion), backup Malcolm Subban (lower body) and third-stringer Oscar Dansk (lower body) along with defenceman Clayton Stoner (abdominal).
