Maple Leafs Superstar Will Miss Critical Matchup Against Bruins

The Maple Leafs will be without their superstar forward when they battle the Boston Bruins on Tuesday.

Toronto announced forward Auston Matthews was day-to-day with an upper-body injury and won’t be available against the B’s at Scotiabank Arena.

The loss of Matthews obviously is a big blow, and it comes at a poor time for the Leafs heading into Tuesday. Toronto went into its matchup against the Bruins on a two-game losing streak while the Black and Gold appeared to get back on track with back-to-back shutout triumphs.

Toronto also was one of the worst power-play and penalty-kill teams in the NHL after 13 games, so Matthews’ absence should only compound that. The Bruins also, after sinking to the bottom of the division, are fourth behind the Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic. A win Tuesday night would show a remarkable turnaround for Jim Montgomery’s side. A loss for the Maple Leafs would continue a tough stretch for first-year Leafs head coach Craig Berube.

Puck drop for the Boston-Toronto matchup is scheduled at 7 p.m. ET, and you can catch full coverage on NESN after an hour of pregame.