Latest announcement regarding Auston Matthews causing concern

Unfortunately for the Leafs, Matthews may be a little banged up right now, as he was not on the ice for the morning skate ahead of Game 3, according to TSN's Chris Johnston.

These game day skates are often optional, so the consensus right now is that Matthews must simply be taking some additional rest after a pair of very physical games to start the series against Boston. This is the sentiment that Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman shared upon hearing the news.

Matthews is undoubtedly the Leafs' best player, so when he misses a game day skate, people will take notice. The obvious hope here is that Friedman is correct and that Matthews is simply taking a rest day under the advisement of the coaches and medical staff.

During this time of the year, players are often playing through minor injuries, and some players are playing through major injuries. Last year, we saw Matthew Tkachuk attempt to play through what was believed to be a broke sternum.

The good news for the Leafs was that William Nylander also returned to practice for the 3rd consecutive day and was actually taking line rushes with Pontus Holmberg and Calle Jarnkrok on the 3rd line, so we're likely to see #88 back in the lineup tonight.

We hope to have a positive update on Matthews shortly.