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SAD DEPARTURE: Austin Matthew set to depart from Toronto Maple Leafs Today Read More…
TheĀ Auston MatthewsĀ target return game has been shifted to Saturday in Tampa Bay.
While theĀ Toronto Maple LeafsĀ superstar indicated Wednesdayās showdown against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers as his possible return date, Matthews will miss a ninth consecutive game due to his undisclosed upper-body injury.
Saturday remains an option, at which his lingering āday to dayā ailment will have stretched to 27 days.
āHe had a real good practice yesterday. But heās been off a while, and getting into a full practice was really important.
But I think, both him and I and the organization feel like he needs a little bit more to be ready to go,ā head coach Craig Berube said Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., following Matthewsā participation in a full morning skate.
āItās not a healing thing. Heās feeling good.
Itās more (about) stamina and getting up to speed and making sure he’s ready.
You donāt want to rush anybody. You want them to feel comfortable, make sure theyāre ready to go.
As Matthews himself said Tuesday: āI might need maybe one or two [practices] to really get my legs and lungs back under me.ā
Lessening the urgency for Matthewsā services is the fact that the injury-plagued Maple Leafs have ripped off a 7-1 run in his absence and have established a three-point lead in the Atlantic Division, with a game in hand over the Panthers.
Matthewsā absence from the top power-play unit has given multiple forwards a look.
Yehovah Kelvin
