With the Maple Leafs already struggling, Auston Matthews was sidelined with a lower-body injury following a hit that didn't sit well with his coach and teammates.
BOSTON — The Toronto Maple Leafs fell to the Boston Bruins 5-3 at TD Garden on Tuesday. While dropping their third consecutive game in the span of four nights, perhaps the biggest concern stemmed from the second period when star center Auston Matthews departed the game shortly after a hit from Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov.
“Right now it's lower-body,” Berube said. “We'll just see tomorrow how he is.”
Zadorov hit Matthews along the boards while the Maple Leafs star's back was turned to the Boston defenseman. When asked if he believes Matthews’ injury is serious or not, Berube said he didn’t know, but also added he wasn’t sure how the player got hurt. The injury's official designation as a lower-body ailment is notable, as Matthews was hit along the back area.
TSN (@TSN_Sports) on X
Auston Matthews went to the Leafs dressing room after taking this hit from Zadorov
Regardless, Berube wasn’t pleased about the Zadorov hit.
“I think it's a penalty personally, but I'm not the referee,” Berube said. “I don't like the hit. It's a vulnerable position. Nothing I can do about it.”
The Leafs players who saw the hit were in agreement.
“I saw it quick. Obviously, Auston had his back facing the play, so you don't like seeing anyone get hit on the numbers,” John Tavares said. “Especially with our leader, one of the best players in the game, we don't want any liberties taken. So I thought guys did a good job of sticking together. Obviously, we didn't like the hit.”
Bridgette Proulx (@bridgetteproulx) on X
Zadorov on his hit that may have been what injured Auston Matthews:
"It was just a normal play. I didn't really hit him. I hit my right shoulder, 99% of my hits in the NHL are with my right shoulder..."
"There was really no intention to hurt him. I play hard against top players
Zadorov's physical play has had a major impact on the Maple Leafs over the last three days. He had a hard hit in Saturday’s game that injured Scott Laughton. In the third period, Max Domi stood up to Zadorov in a battle in front of Boston's net, which resulted in a two-minute penalty. The Bruins scored their final goal on the ensuing power play, putting Toronto away for good.
Domi addressed his reaction to the hit: “I'm not going to comment too much on that stuff. It all stays on the ice, but you don't want to see anyone go down, especially your captain,” he said “When guys that mean a lot to our team get injured like that, you just got to stick together and stand in there. Like I said, I think we did a good job of that as a whole in the third period.”
The Maple Leafs will be anxious to avoid another injury scare with their captain. He missed 15 games last season due to a lingering upper-body injury that impacted his production for the remainder of the season and into the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"It was just a normal play. I didn't really hit him. I hit my right shoulder, 99% of my hits in the NHL are with my right shoulder," Zadorov told reporters in the Boston locker room."There was really no intention to hurt him. I play hard against top players on the other team, that's my job."
Everything Hockey (@EHClothing) on X
Max Domi went after Nikita Zadorov after Zadorov’s hit on Matthews earlier in the period sent him to the dressing room😳👊
However, with injuries to Laughton (upper-body), Chris Tanev (upper-body), Matthews, and potentially Anthony Stolarz (who left after the first period with an upper-body injury that Berube feels isn't serious), the Leafs face significant adversity at a time when their overall performance is already struggling.
Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson spoke to the challenge: “Yeah, it's tough. Obviously, it's two guys that we want in the lineup. It gives us a better chance to win.”
“But at the same time, I think it's the next man up, and somebody has to fill that hole and step up, and we can't feel sorry for ourselves.”
Latest stories:
Report: Signing Bonus A Sticking Point On Potential Maple Leafs And David Kampf Contract Termination