The Toronto Maple Leafs are riding a high in the NHL, boasting a four-game winning streak and sitting in first place in the Atlantic Division. Everything is going the Maple Leafs’ way. However, after committing an elbowing penalty against the Philadelphia Flyers, a key teammate of Auston Matthews received a hefty sanction by the league.
Matthews returned to the ice after a six-game absence due to an upper-body injury during the Leafs 6-4 over the Bruins, and was again on the lineup as Toronto defeated Philadelphia in the first of a home-and-away series.
Matthews holds a six-game point streak, tracing back to mid-December prior to his injury. Since returning, Auston registers five points in two games, not having lost a beat in his game. However, during a chippy, contested bout against the Flyers tempers flared, and a teammate of Matthews was heavily fined for an illegal play.
Toronto forward Max Domi was assessed a $5,000 fine for elbowing Philadelphia’s Garnet Hathaway. The sum is the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, according to the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. However, albeit the hefty sanction, Domi was only called for a minor-penalty during the game.
Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs moves the puck up ice against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the first period at the Amalie Arena on November 30, 2024 in Tampa, Florida.
Toronto would kill off the ensuing penalty late in the third period, and go on to win in sudden-death overtime thanks to Morgan Rielly’s goal, assisted by Auston Matthews and John Tavares.
see also
The most legendary rivalries that shaped NHL history: Intense battles and iconic moments
Berube’s suspenseful statement on Matthews
Although Matthews has been on a tear since being activated back into the Maple Leafs lineup, head coach Craig Berube was wary of rushing the superstar’s recovery.
“We definitely have to manage him and get him to a point where he’s fully healthy,” Berube said after the game, via Sportskeeda. “And whether that’s minutes or a little bit of time off, I don’t know. I don’t have the answer for you right now, but we’re obviously, going to stay in tune with it and try to do what’s best for him.”
Auston replicates his coach’s statement
Matthews will be the first to tell everyone he wants to be on the ice with his teammates and lead Toronto in a deep Stanley Cup Playoffs run, hopefully hoisting Lord Stanley for the first time in The Six since 1967.
However, he’s well aware of the recurring issue that has already caused him to miss 15 games this season, and he expressed some doubts on whether he can fully recover during this campaign.
Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs attends the 2024 NHL All-Star Skills Competition on February 02, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
“I don’t know,” Matthews said, via NHL.com, “I hope so, that’s obviously the goal. It’s tricky with these things. It’s a physical sport, it’s a contact sport, so things happen out there sometimes that are out of your control, so just trying to manage it as best I can.”
