Yahoo Sports 'We Definitely Have To Manage Him': Auston Matthews Isn't 100 Percent, But The Maple Leafs Will Work Him Through It On The Ice
After missing six games with a lingering upper-body injury, Auston Matthews scored an empty-net goal and added two assists to help the Toronto Maple Leafs defeat the Boston Bruins 6-4 at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.
"I'm pretty happy with it," Matthews said of his return " (I) just want to keep that momentum going."
Before the game, Matthews quickly dashed any notion of game management by expressing his intent to play the following night against the Philadelphia Flyers. But the club is going to be mindful of how much they play their superstar center.
"Overall, I thought he played a pretty good game," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said of Matthews "I thought he was very smart tonight. Didn't overexert himself. Didn't put himself in tough spots. And we managed his minutes pretty good, I thought. I used him a little bit more at the end of the game, obviously. But it kind of got to that point."
Returning from his second absence this season due to an upper-body injury, Matthews logged a season-low 17:32. The back-and-forth nature of the game saw Matthews play more in the third period, particularly as Toronto was defending the 5-on-6 situation as Boston looked for a tying goal.
Matthews iced the game by diving for the puck with his stick, directing it into the net.
Although Matthews had been skating in the days leading up to his return, the Leafs were sure to not put a timeline on the player's absence. They learned that lesson when Matthews missed nine games as the club said the player was "day-to-day".
His impact was evident. Matthew Knies had his first career hat trick while skating with Matthews. Mitch Marner had a five-point night (one goal, four assists).
"It's pretty incredible what he can do to our team and the energy he can bring," Knies said of Matthews. "It makes players around him better and that's what showed tonight.
Now comes the hard part. Matthews has to wake up in the morning and see how he feels. The Leafs will assess him regularly.
He may not be 100 percent, but if he was 80 percent, the Leafs and Matthews both benefitted from playing.
"We definitely have to manage him and get him to a point where he's fully healthy," Berube said of Matthews. "And whether that's minutes or, you know, 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."
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