May 1, 2025; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) skates with the puck in game six of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn ImagesWhen the Toronto Maple Leafs filed onto the ice for their morning skate before Game 4 against the Florida Panthers, one player was missing: Auston Matthews.
Quiet the alarm bells because the Maple Leafs told some reporters that the 27-year-old was taking the option and will be good to go ahead of an all-important game against Florida.
David Kampf skated in Matthews' spot on Toronto's top line with the forward missing the morning skate.
Matthews is coming off a two-assist game against the Panthers on Friday night. Toronto's captain played 24:35 in the overtime loss, the second-most ice time he's played in the playoffs.
This isn't the first time that Matthews has missed a skate in the playoffs. The forward was absent from Toronto's practice after their 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators in Game 4.
"I think everybody’s grinding right now. It’s that point in the season of hard, physical hockey, going through different things, so it’s nothing that’s abnormal," Matthews said on April 29, a day after missing practice.
"Everybody’s grinding and playing hard right now, so it’s not really something that’s, I don’t know, it’s not a big deal."
Matthews is yet to score in the second-round series against the Panthers. He's scored 10 points — two goals and eight assists — through nine games in the playoffs. His two goals came in Games 3 and 6 vs. Ottawa.
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube discussed Matthews' lack of goalscoring in the playoffs on Saturday, saying he needs to hit the net more as he leads NHL players in missed shots during the playoffs.
"He's a great scorer, we all know that. I'm not too worried about him. It is what it is," Berube said. "Yeah, he needs to hit the net. He's trying to hit the net. He's not trying to miss the net. He's trying to hit the net. I'm not really going to elaborate on that too much."
Matthews dealt with a nagging injury for most of this season. In November, he flew to Munich, Germany, to receive treatment from a doctor he's previously dealt with. Matthews missed almost the entire month before returning to Toronto's lineup on Nov. 30.
The forward finished the regular season with 33 goals, the lowest total of his NHL career, and 45 assists in 67 games. Twenty-eight of his 33 goals, in 54 games, came after returning in late November.
He hasn't found the back of the net in his last three games, meaning he's due for a goal in Game 4, which goes down at 7:00 p.m. ET.
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