Sheldon Keefe provides an update on Auston Matthews

Sheldon Keefe has provided an update on Auston Matthews after he left Game 4 at the end of the second period last night.

With the Toronto Maple Leafs down 3-0 to begin the third period, fans saw Joseph Woll lead the team onto the ice and take over for Ilya Samsonov. Many were surprised to see the change, but nowhere near as surprised as they were not seeing Matthews on the bench for the Leafs. Matthews had been battling an illness the entire week, missing two practices and playing Wednesday's Game 3, but being unable to complete Saturday's Game 4.

Following the game, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe provided an update on Matthews' condition. Keefe revealed that Matthews was pulled from the game by team doctors due to his illness and that it wasn't injury related. Matthews has been held pointless in three of four games so far this series, but had three points in a dominant Game 2 performance, including the game-winning goal.

Fans may criticize him for not playing through it, but there isn't much he can do if the doctors pull him from a game and deem him unable to continue. Those fans criticizing him for not playing through the illness are more than likely the same ones that criticized William Nylander for not playing through debilitating migraines.


With the Leafs on the brink of elimination, they will have to hope that Matthews is back to 100 percent for Tuesday's Game 5 in Boston. Otherwise, it's going to be a very long off-season for the Leafs once again.