Auston Matthews says he’s starting to feel better, but he’ll remain out of the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup for at least one more game.
Coach Craig Berube said Wednesday that the team captain will not play in the second half of a home-and-home series against the New York Islanders on Thursday.
While Matthews said he’s making progress dealing with an upper-body injury, he does not have a date in mind for his return. He did skate with the team at practice on Wednesday.
Matthews aggravated an upper-body injury against the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 20. Since then, he has missed five games. He was placed on long-term injured reserve on Tuesday, retroactively to the game against the Sabres.
The current stretch is the second significant layoff of the season for the 27-year-old, who also missed nine consecutive games in November.
Matthews, who scored 69 goals to win the Rocket Richard Trophy last season, has 11 goals and 12 assists in 24 games this season.
Watch Thursday’s Leafs-Islanders game at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT on Sportsnet or Sportsnet+.
