In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Auston Matthews was present at the arena but was the sole player from the Toronto Maple Leafs to sit out the Sunday morning skate.
The prominent center had previously missed a practice session during the first round of the playoffs, and it has become widely known that he is currently managing an unspecified upper-body ailment.
Matthews, a prolific scorer with two seasons of 60 goals, recorded a career-low 33 goals during the recent regular season and has netted only two goals through the first nine games of the current playoff run.
He serves as our captain and leader, consistently being an exceptional player for our team. I anticipate he will perform just as well tonight. He`s expected to be present and play a significant role for us.
— Chris Tanev, Maple Leafs Defenceman
Matthews is carrying a heavy workload in this series against the physically challenging Florida Panthers, averaging 23 minutes and 12 seconds of ice time per game. He has shown strong performance in the faceoff circle, winning 57 percent of draws. While he has contributed three assists, his primary offensive weapon—his goal-scoring touch—seems to be absent or, at minimum, impaired.
