Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Massive four-point game
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Matthews (lower body) scored three goals and added an assist in Thursday's 6-5 win over the Jets.
It was Matthews' 14th NHL hat trick. His third goal stood as the winner; it was his 419th regular-season snipe in the NHL, which puts him one goal from tying Mats Sundin for the most in franchise history. Matthews is on a personal three-game point streak (interrupted by injury) that includes four goals, four assists and 19 shots. He suddenly seems inspired, and that's the best gift that his managers received this holiday season.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Ready to rock
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Matthews (lower body) will return to action Thursday versus Winnipeg, per Dave McCarthy of NHL.com.
Matthews missed one game with the injury. He will center Matthew Knies and Max Domi on the top line, as well as the first power play. Matthews has slumped this season with 15 goals and 12 assists in 33 appearances, his first season since his rookie campaign in 2016-17, in which he has averaged less than a point a game.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Nearing return
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Matthews (lower body) is "fairly close" to returning to action, reports NHL.com.
Head coach Craig Berube shared the update after Tuesday's 4-0 win over the Devils, saying he hopes Matthews can get on the ice Wednesday for practice. The 28-year-old superstar is day-to-day after getting hit on the foot with a shot Sunday. Matthews' first opportunity for game action is Thursday, and managers will be looking for him to build off his first three-point game of the season, which came Saturday against Ottawa.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Out of action Tuesday
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Matthews (lower body) won't play Tuesday versus the Devils.
Matthews' injury, sustained Sunday versus the Red Wings, will end up costing him at least one game. His next chance to play is Thursday versus the Jets. In Matthews' absence, look for John Tavares to move up to the first line, while Nicolas Roy and Scott Laughton could also be set for increased minutes.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Game-time call against Devils
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Matthews will be a game-time decision against the Devils on Tuesday due to a lower-body injury.
Matthews sustained the injury while blocking a shot in Sunday's 3-2 overtime loss to Detroit. William Nylander (lower body) is not expected to play Tuesday, so the Leafs may be without two of their most prolific offensive weapons for this fast-paced matchup. If Matthews ends up being unavailable, John Tavares will most likely center the No. 1 line.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: First three-point game of season
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Matthews had a goal and two assists in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Senators.
Matthews stuffed in a rebound from the slot after Linus Ullmark juggled a point shot from Max Domi. The points snapped a four-game drought, giving Matthews his first three-point effort of the season. He also had a game-high nine shots on goal in the contest. Matthews has 15 goals and 26 points through 32 appearances this year.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: First multi-pointer in seven games
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Matthews had a goal and an assist in Tuesday's 3-2 win over Chicago.
Matthews tied the game 2-2 with a power-play snipe at 16:51 of the third period. He picked up the puck behind the net and wheeled out, ripping a shot over Spencer Knight's glove from the below the right hashmarks. It was Matthews first multi-point game in seven games. Overall, he has 14 goals, nine assists and 102 shots in 27 games this season.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Pace finally quickening
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Matthews scored a power-play goal in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Sharks.
Matthews made it 2-0 at 14:32 of the second period when he one-timed a cross-ice pass from William Nylander below the right circle. It ended a streak of 0-for-12 and 2-for-28 for the Maple Leafs with the man advantage. Matthews has a goal in each of his last two games and three in his last four outings (20 shots). He's been held off the scoresheet just once in his last seven games (four goals, three assists; 31 shots).
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Pots empty-netter
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Matthews scored an empty-net goal on seven shots and blocked three shots in Monday's 2-0 win over the Lightning.
Matthews has three goals and three assists over his last six games. He's providing steady offense in a top-line role, though his scoring hasn't been as efficient this year, as he's at 12 goals, 20 points, 92 shots on net, 47 blocks and a plus-12 rating through 24 appearances. That's a 40-goal pace in a full campaign, but he's already missed five contests due to a lower-body injury in November, so the center will need to find a bit more offense to reach that level in 2025-26.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Four-game, five-point streak
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Matthews scored a goal in Thursday's 5-1 win over Carolina.
Matthews finished a pass from Max Domi on a 2-on-1 that started in the Leafs' zone when Matthews Knies intercepted a pass and sprung his linemates. The elite pivot is on a four-game, five-point streak that includes two goals and 16 shots.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: First goal since return from injury
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Matthews scored a goal and added an assist Saturday in a 7-2 victory over the Penguins.
It was his first goal in three games since returning from a lower-body injury; he missed five games from Nov. 13-22. Matthews has a modest two-game scoring streak (one goal, two assists) on the go. He's scoring at a 40-goal pace, but he'll need to increase his output to hit that plateau. Overall, Matthews has 17 points, including 10 goals, and 75 shots in 20 games this season.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: First point since return
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Matthews put up an assist Friday in a 4-2 loss to the Capitals.
It was his first point since his return from injury. Matthews has nine goals, six assists and 71 shots in 19 games this season. He has just two power-play points (one goal, one assist) -- the Leafs are truly struggling with the NHL's 26th ranked power play. And we're still waiting for Matthews to string together a few epic contests. He has just one multi-goal game, which came Oct. 14 against Nashville. And he has only three-multi-point efforts in 2025-26 (all two-point games).
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Returning to action Wednesday
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Matthews (lower body) is good to go for Wednesday's game against Columbus, David Alter of The Hockey News reports.
Matthews will return to the top-line role and see time on the first power-play unit after missing the last five games. He's recorded nine goals, five assists, 31 blocked shots, 13 hits and six PIM while averaging 21:15 of ice time over 17 appearances this season.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Trending in right direction
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Matthews (lower body) hasn't been ruled out against the Blue Jackets on Wednesday after head coach Craig Berube told reporters, "I'll probably know tomorrow if they're available Wednesday," per Mark Masters of TSN.
It's far from a confirmation that Matthews will face Columbus, but it's a step in the right direction. It seems Tuesday's practice session will be critical for the world-class center in determining his availability. Whenever Matthews does return, he will reclaim his first-line role and spot on the No. 1 power-play unit.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Targeting Saturday return
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Matthews (lower body) is doubtful to suit up versus the Blue Jackets on Thursday after general manager Brad Treliving told reporters, "I would suspect Thursday's probably not a possibility ... I don't anticipate too, too long," Mark Masters of TSN reports Tuesday.
Based on Treveling's comments, Matthews looks poised to return in time to face the Canadiens on Saturday, though he hasn't been officially given the all-clear. In his 17 outings this year, the world-class center has racked up nine goals and five helpers, but has managed just two power-play points. Matthews will reclaim his spot on the No. 1 power-play unit and top line as soon as he is ready to play.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Placed on injured reserve
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Matthews (lower body) was designated for injured reserve Friday, retroactive to Nov. 11.
Matthews's placement on IR means he won't be in action for the Leafs' next two contests due to his lower-body injury. Prior to getting hurt, the world-class center was rolling offensively with four goals and two assists in his last six contests. Still, Matthews is behind a point-per-game pace, something he hasn't done since his rookie campaign back in 2016-17, when he recorded 69 points in 82 regular-season contests.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Out a couple of games
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Matthews (lower body) will miss a pair of games, but his injury is not considered serious, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports Thursday.
Matthews left Tuesday's tilt against Boston after a big hit, courtesy of the Bruins' Nikita Zadorov. Matthews will sit out Thursday against the Kings and Saturday in Chicago. Matthews has nine goals and 14 points in 17 games this season. John Tavares will move up the depth chart and center the top unit in Matthews' absence.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Injured Tuesday
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Matthews (lower body) won't return to Tuesday's game versus the Bruins.
Matthews left the game after a hit by Nikita Zadorov. The 28-year-old Matthews' absence is a big concern for a Maple Leafs team that has won just twice in its first five games in November. It's unclear if Matthews will be able to suit up Thursday versus the Kings.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Scores, assists Sunday
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Matthews scored an even-strength goal and added a power-play assist in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Hurricanes.
This was just the third multi-point effort of the season for Matthews, who remains productive even if he's not filling out the box score as he did a few seasons ago. The 28-year-old star is up to 14 points this season and seems to be trending in the right direction with six points (four goals, two assists) in five contests this month. For the sake of comparison, Matthews put up eight points in 11 games in October.
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Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Tallies in Wednesday's win
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Matthews scored a goal on two shots in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Mammoth.
Matthews is heating up with three goals and an assist over three outings in November. The 28-year-old had been limited to one helper over the three contests to close out October. He's produced eight goals, 12 points, 57 shots on net, 27 blocked shots, 12 hits, six PIM and a plus-10 rating through 14 appearances as the centerpiece of Toronto's offense.
