The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without Auston Matthews again on Wednesday night against the visiting Vegas Golden Knights, but so far that has not been a problem.
The Maple Leafs are 5-1-0 in the games Matthews has missed due to an upper-body injury that was initially expected to sideline him for just a few days.
Toronto coach Craig Berube said that Matthews has not suffered a setback, although he had not been skating the past two days.
“It’s a little bit of a holding pattern, but he’s not getting worse, so that’s a good thing,” Berube said on Monday. “It’s just taking time. He’s doing what he needs to do to get back in the lineup and get healthy, and our team needs to just push on.”
Matthews led the league with 69 goals last season and has five goals in 13 games this season.
In the past six games without Matthews, Mitch Marner has surged with 10 points (four goals, six assists), including the overtime winner in the 4-3 home win over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. It was his 200th career goal.
“A lot of guys have elevated their game,” Berube said. “Marner with (John) Tavares, they’ve been a very good line for us, which we need them to be. Mitch has been a real good player all year in all areas of the game, penalty kill, power play, five-on-five, whatever we have asked him to do.”
Along with Matthews, the Maple Leafs will be without Ryan Reaves, who was suspended five games for an illegal hit to the head on Edmonton’s Darnell Nurse on Saturday, and forward Calle Jarnkrok, who has not played this season and underwent groin and sports hernia surgery Monday.
Toronto also put forward David Kampf (lower-body injury) on injured reserve Tuesday and recalled forward Fraser Minten from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.
The Golden Knights will open a five-game road trip at Toronto after losing 5-2 to the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
“We weren’t on our toes early. We just weren’t playing in the first period,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We weren’t executing (to) the best of our abilities. At the end of the first period, they didn’t have very much either. … We deserve better if we get a little puck luck and then get back to playing winning hockey, but that didn’t happen.”
The Golden Knights were limited to six shots on goal amid their indecisive play in the first period.
“If you’re not going to shoot it, then hang on to it and make a play that’s not too risky or isn’t a whole play,” Cassidy said. “(Sunday), there was a little more of that in our game.”
This is the first of two meetings this season between the teams. Vegas is 3-3-2 on the road and Toronto is 8-3-0 at home.
The Golden Knights swept a two-game trip at Anaheim and Utah before losing to Washington at home.
“We did a good job on the road last time, but we didn’t get the one we wanted to at home,” Vegas left winger Tanner Pearson said on Monday. “We have to keep the same road mentality that we did on the last trip. It’s definitely a longer one. It’s a good opportunity.”
Cassidy wants his squad to come out stronger in the first period and be more assertive early than it did on Sunday.
“Instead of waiting for something to happen, let’s go make something happen,” he said.
–Field Level Media
