Maple Leafs practice lineup suggests Auston Matthews will miss game 5
Auston Matthews is an integral part of the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup, but at this point, he may miss a must-win game five in Boston.
The Maple Leafs were disappointing in a 3-1 loss in game four that saw them fall to 3-1 down in the series, and while there's criticism to go around, Auston Matthews must be credited for playing through illness that forced him out of the game in the third period. Now, all indicators point to him missing a must-win game five in Boston, as TSN's Mark Masters has revealed that the lineup in practice is much different than ahead of game four, as the team are actively preparing to be without No. 34.
That is not the case today
Leafs preparing for a scenario where Auston is unavailable for Game 5
Instead of a placeholder, Toronto have shuffled their lines, with Mitch Marner slotting in alongside Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi, forcing William Nylander to the second line amidst plenty of changes.
Bertuzzi-Domi-Marner
Knies-Tavares-Nylander
Robertson-Holmberg-Jarnkrok
Dewar-Kampf-Reaves
Extra (Gregor)
Absent: Matthews (illness), McMann (lower-body)
Rielly-Lyubushkin
Benoit-McCabe
Edmundson-Liljegren
Giordano-Brodie
Webber-Timmins
Samsonov, Woll, Jones
There's always time for Matthews to turn it around and get back on the ice, but at this point things aren't looking good, as the team will now have to extend the series back to game six in Toronto if they want to see Matthews back on the ice.
| POLL | ||
Can the Maple Leafs win on the road in game five without Auston Matthews? | ||
| Yes | 645 | 57.1 % |
| No | 484 | 42.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
