The Toronto Maple Leafs will once again be without their top star, this time for Tuesday's home game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Per Dave McCarthy of the NHL's website, Toronto forward Auston Matthews will miss his second consecutive contest due to an undisclosed "minor injury." Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed the team was not merely resting the 24-year-old who, according to ESPN stats, leads the league with 58 goals.
Matthews didn't feature in Sunday's 4-2 win over the New York Islanders.
"He's got an injury that maybe he could play through but that doesn't make sense to do so," Keefe said of Matthews. "It just speaks to the fact that we are looking bigger picture here. We've got individual accomplishments, team accomplishments in the regular season. We're mindful of them and they're important in their own way, but the ultimate goal is for us to be ready to compete come playoff time. That's what it's all about."
Matthews, who has also contributed 44 assists in 70 contests this season, will travel with the team for an upcoming three-game road trip. His status for Thursday's matchup at the Tampa Bay Lightning is unclear as of Tuesday afternoon.
Toronto began the day second in the Atlantic Division standings with 106 points, six points ahead of the Lightning in the battle for postseason seeding. If Matthews doesn't play against Tampa Bay on Thursday, his next chance to return would be for Saturday's showdown at the Florida Panthers.
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