Auston Matthews will be out for at least four weeks because of a left shoulder injury sustained Saturday.
The Toronto Maple Leafs center will be placed on injured reserve Monday.
Matthews, 21, appeared to be injured on a hit by Winnipeg Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba in the second period of the Maple Leafs' 3-2 victory at Scotiabank Arena. Coach Mike Babcock said the injury is different from the shoulder injury Matthews sustained Feb. 22 that kept him out 10 games.
"It's not the same shoulder, it's not," Babcock said. "He did his work this summer to get way stronger, built muscle around his shoulders, wants to protect himself. Sometimes things happen."
Matthews leads the Maple Leafs with 10 goals and 16 points in 11 games.
"It's tough. He's a big part of this team and everyone knows that," forward Mitchell Marner said Saturday. "He's a needed player on this team."
The Maple Leafs play the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Arena on Monday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVAS, NHL.TV). They lead the Eastern Conference with 16 points (8-3-0) and will be going for their third consecutive victory.
"It's tough to lose one of your best players, but you just have to keep playing and move on," defenseman Jake Gardiner said. "I'm hoping he's OK, thinking that in the back of your head but just got to keep playing the game."
If Matthews can return in four weeks, he would miss 12 games and would return against the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 24.
The Maple Leafs went 5-3-2 when Matthews was out last season. They could be better equipped to handle his absence this season with the addition of center John Tavares.
"[Matthews] is just a one-of-a-kind player," forward Nazem Kadri said. "It's hard to fill that void, but I don't think we rely on one specific guy. We've been talking about depth for 10 months here with this group."
Entertainment Plaza - TV, Movies, Sports, Music, Soaps
http://almosthuman99.com
Babe Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://almosthuman99.com/polls/babes/babeofthemonth.html
Hunk Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://almosthuman99.com/polls/hunks/hunkofthemonth.html
No comments:
Post a Comment