After playing 3 games in 4 nights, there were a number of Maple Leafs absent from yesterday's skills session in Toronto, ahead of tonight's game against the Washington Capitals. Following yesterday's skate, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe suggested that a number of his players were dealing with something, making them unavailable to practice. This morning, Auston Matthews was among those missing from the game-day skate, putting his status in doubt for tonight.
While there was originally some hope that Matthews was healthy and was simply taking some extra rest today, an official report has revealed that Matthews is dealing with an illness and will be a game-time decision tonight.
There were some who feared that perhaps Matthews could be dealing with some form of a lingering injury, something that may keep him out of the lineup for an extended period of time, but the announcement that it's merely an illness that may sideline him tonight is actually good news in comparison.
As far as how the lineup looks for tonight, obviously, with Matthews being a game-time decision, these lines are subject to change. However, here's how Sheldon Keefe had structured his lines at practice this morning, with the caveat being that Mitch Marner will not play. He was simply out there taking reps with the top line as he works his way back from an ankle injury.
If Matthews can't go, we'll likely see Nylander and Robertson bumped up, with Gregor likely drawing in on that 3rd line with Matthew Knies and Pontus Holmberg. If Matthews plays, we'll likely see Max Domi shifted over to the right side on that top line, with everything else remaining the same.
