Maple Leafs put Auston Matthews on IR, but there's a catch
The Toronto Maple Leafs won their first game of the 2024-25 season without Auston Matthews, and they'll be without the sniper for at least two more contests.
Matthews was placed on injured reserve by the team on Friday afternoon, meaning he'll miss a back-to-back set against the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena this weekend.
However, the move was simply done to open up a roster spot, and doesn't mean that the American will be out long-term .
"There's been no setback in his recovery," The Athletic's Chris Johnston reported. "The IR move is about roster management."
To fill the spot on the roster, Conor Dewar was recalled from the American Hockey League's Toronto Marlies; he was on an LTIR conditioning loan and activated ahead of Friday's game, per Leafs PR.
"We are going in the right direction , so that's good news," Berube said of Matthews' ailment, per NHL.com's Dave McCarthy.
The bench boss continued: "He's doing OK. It's still a day-to-day thing right now. That's really the update I have for you. ...I can't tell you what's going to happen tomorrow or the next day. I wish I could, but I can't."
Matthews has struggled a bit to start the campaign after potting 69 goals in 2023-24. He's managed just five, along with six assists, over 13 games this season. He was held scoreless in his first three tilts before getting back on track, with all 11 of his points coming in the last 10 games.
The superstar has won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the league's top goal scorer in three of the last four years, and he's the favorite again in 2024-25 despite a slow start.
Although any time spent without Matthews in the lineup is discouraging, the Leafs were able to come out on top in their first game without him — and it was a monumental one.
Leafs got their best win of the season without Auston Matthews
The Leafs have historically been great without Matthews in the lineup, going 36-19-2 all-time minus the captain, per McCarthy. That trend continued on Wednesday night; for the first time in nine regular-season games, Toronto finally got the better of the Boston Bruins, beating their Atlantic Division rivals 4-0.
It was the first time the Maple Leafs had defeated the Bruins in the regular-season since January 14, 2023 .
"Obviously a big one," Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly said of the win, per McCarthy. "I think it comes down to special teams, and we did pretty well in that department and it had a big impact on the game."
"Probably our most complete game of the year," goaltender Anthony Stolarz echoed after making 29 saves in the shutout. "Boston is a very good team. We knew they were physical and they were going to try to grind us down and I think we matched their intensity, matched their physicality really well."
The Leafs will be looking forward to getting Matthews in the lineup, but first, they'll focus on a couple of key divisional matchups over the weekend. Puck drop for both Leafs-Red Wings on Friday and Leafs-Canadiens on Saturday is set for just past 7:00 p.m. ET.
