Craig Berube Makes Immediate Lineup Changes in Response to Auston Matthews' Injury
With Auston Matthews set to miss more time due to another injury, head coach Craig Berube had to make some vital last minute changes before Saturday's game.
With the terrible news that Auston Matthews is going to be missing more time due to re-aggravating his hip injury, the Leafs captain will not be available for Saturday, and is questionable for Monday's game.
Though the team has done well without him, it seemed like the Maple Leafs lineup was finally getting its groove together. But now with him out, Craig Berube needs to make some big changes to his lineup.
According to David Alter on X, Connor Dewar and Ryan Reaves will draw into the lineup against New York meanwhile Matthews and Pontus Holmberg will be out of the lineup.
This was confirmed by Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun as well.
It's unknown how Toronto will lineup against the Islanders, and Craig Berube is always one to change his lineup at the last minute, so there is the potential for other names to be moved around by game-time.
The Devil Is In The Details For Auston Matthews' Injury
Though it's unclear exactly what's been nagging at the Maple Leafs captain since the season began, but there is the possibility it's his hip bothering him which would be a big concern for someone who relies so heavily on speed and acceleration.
His injury was a mystery and it was clear from how he performed since returning that he wasn't the same dominant force that fans have come to expect. With only 11 goals and 12 assists so far, there's a slowness to Matthews' game and something is holding him back.
Toronto fares well without their captain, having gone 7-2-0 when he was gone for nearly the entire month of November, and it will be up to Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander to once again lead the charge as the team heads into Christmas.
There is the possibility that Tavares slides up to the top line but given his chemistry with his second line mates, it'll be tough for Berube to change things much; though he could move William Nylander to center on the first line if he wants to experiment with that again.
Well given Toronto needs to make some changes, the lineup looks completely different. Max Pacioretty slides up to the top line with John Tavares and Matthew Knies and Mitch Marner slide to the second line as Craig Berube tries to space out his stars.
Joseph Woll gets the start for the Maple Leafs on Saturday night as they continue to try and gather as much momentum as possible, especially with Matthews out again.
It is no doubt a frustrating scenario for both Matthews and the Maple Leafs, and the main concern now is that when he does come back to the ice, his issues will be behind him for good.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 21 | 1274 ANSWERS Craig Berube Makes Immediate Lineup Changes in Response to Auston Matthews' Injury Will Auston Matthews miss more than one game for the Maple Leafs? | ||
| Yes | 1237 | 97.1 % |
| No | 37 | 2.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
