The Toronto Maple Leafs did not have their captain on the ice on Monday, raising some mild concerns about his status ahead of Game 5 in the Battle of Ontario,
At least for now it looks like everything is status quo with the Maple Leafs quickly looking to get ahead of this news by informing reporters immediately that Matthews was getting a rest day on Monday. Of course Matthews was the only Maple Leafs’ regular to get the day off, which does raise some questions about any potential injuries he may have suffered.
With Matthews out of the lineup the Maple Leafs used forward David Kampf to replace Matthews in the lineup, although there has been no indication that Kampf will be taking Matthews’ place in Game 5. Here is how the lineups looked on Monday morning, with again Kampf serving as a fill-in for Matthews:
Knies – *Kampf – Marner
Holmberg – Tavares – Nylander
McMann – Domi – Pacioretty
Lorentz – Laughton – Jarnkrok
*placeholder for Matthews (rest)
Rielly – Carlo
McCabe – Tanev
Benoit – Ekman-Larsson
Stolarz
Matthews has dealt with a lingering injury all season long so it is normal for some concern to arise due to his absence today, especially considering the fact that his injury this season coincided with a significant dip in production from the previous year. Only time will tell if Matthews will be at 100% for Game 5.