Auston Matthews was notably absent from today's morning skate as the Toronto Maple Leafs prepare for tonight's game against the Washington Capitals.
New updates from David Alter and Mark Masters shed light on the situation.
Maple Leafs Vs. Capitals: Auston Matthews misses the morning skate but could still play tonight.
In the past few weeks, health issues forced Mitch Marner, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Morgan Rielly to miss games, and for a little while, it looked like the same thing would happen to Matthews.
"As Leafs morning skate begins, Auston Matthews is absent. "
Without Matthews, the team's top six is a lot thiner than usual. Fortunately, a new update from Mark Masters suggests that Matthews could still play tonight:
"This alignment at Leafs morning skate suggests Auston Matthews is likely to play
Mitch Marner, who is not playing, filling in on the top line."
Needless to say that the Leafs' resilience will be tested. We should see if they're able to pull off an amazing night after a tough loss, possibly without their star player.