Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Auston Matthews’ took the ice for Game 7 of the NHL Eastern Conference first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins on Saturday night.
However, goaltender Joseph Woll, who led the Leafs to victories the past two games, will not suit up after suffering an injury in Game 6. Ilya Samsonov, who began the series as Toronto’s starter, will return to face the Bruins. Martin Jones will be his backup.
Matthews is not 100 percent. He participated in the morning skate but only spent about 15 minutes on the ice and “still looked limited physically.”
Matthews played through an undisclosed illness in Game 3 and attempted to do the same in Game 4 but did not take the ice in the third period of Toronto’s 3-1 loss. He reportedly suffered an undisclosed injury in that game.
The Maple Leafs stayed in the series Thursday when William Nylander scored both goals in Toronto’s 2-1 victory in Game 6 on home ice.
Matthews had a goal and two assists in Toronto’s 3-2 win in Game 2, accounting for all three of his points in the series.
Matthews, 26, led the NHL with a career-high 69 goals and tallied 107 points in the 2023-24 season. The 2021-22 Hart Trophy winner has 649 points (368 goals, 281 assists) in 562 games since being drafted No. 1 overall by the Maple Leafs in 2016.
–Field Level Media
