Auston Matthews' illness 'lingering' as desperate Toronto Maple Leafs look to stay alive
Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews has been sidelined by a "lingering illness" as Toronto stares down playoff elimination.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe provided an update on the star sniper's status Sunday afternoon, some 14 hours after watching his team fall 3-1 to Boston in a disastrous home performance.
The Bruins now lead the Original Six matchup 3-1 and can close things out Tuesday at TD Garden. Game 6, if necessary, would be back in Toronto on Thursday.
Keefe said Matthews has been cut down by more than a "run-of-the-mill" illness, adding that the symptoms get worse when the 26-year-old asserts himself on the ice.
The 69-goal man willed Toronto to victory in Game 2 to even the best-of-seven series, but was clearly labouring in a 4-2 loss in Game 3 before being removed from the action Saturday.
The Leafs trailed the Bruins 3-1 in the opening round of the 2018 playoffs, but won two straight to force a Game 7 they would lose in Boston. Toronto also fell to its Atlantic Division rival in seven games in 2013 and 2019.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 28, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Slovakia's populist prime minister shot in assassination attempt, shocking Europe before elections
Slovakia's populist prime minister, Robert Fico, was shot multiple times and gravely wounded Wednesday after a political event in an attempted assassination that shocked the small country and reverberated across Europe.
U.S. intelligence officials wanted to meet with Transport Canada's UFO 'lead'
Canada's transportation department had a UFO 'lead' who tried to 'quell' media interest and planned to meet with U.S. intelligence officials.
'Very expensive lunch': Sask. driver says he got a cell phone ticket for using his points app in McDonald's drive-thru
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
'The Fly' has become notorious in France after a brazen escape. What's his criminal history?
A prisoner nicknamed “The Fly” has become notorious in France overnight after a daring and bloody escape from a prison convoy in Normandy that left two guards dead.
Ontario's 'Crypto King' Aiden Pleterski arrested
Aiden Pleterski, the self-proclaimed 'crypto king' from Whitby, Ont., has been arrested in Durham Region after allegedly running a Ponzi scheme worth more than $40 million.
Barge hits a bridge in Texas, damaging the structure and causing an oil spill
A barge slammed into a bridge pillar in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a smaller and separate island that is home to a university, officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Person responsible for 1996 drugging of 'Titanic' crew likely not a local: Halifax police
Halifax Regional Police believe a non-resident could be responsible for the infamous drugging of numerous crew members of the 'Titanic' movie with a hallucinogenic in 1996.
Latest updates on the biggest wildfires burning in Canada
Thousands of people in Western Canada remain displaced from their homes as wildfires threaten their communities, triggering evacuation orders and alerts.
OPINION If you think you can’t focus for long, you’re right: Sandee LaMotte
Regaining your focus requires you to be mindful of how you are using technology -- a daunting task if you consider the average American spends at least 10 hours a day on screens.