Facing elimination, Leafs rule out Matthews for G6
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Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporter
TORONTO — Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews has been ruled out for Game 6 of the first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Bruins on Thursday.
The Leafs trail the Bruins 3-2 in the best-of-seven series and face elimination with another loss.
Matthews missed the third period of Game 4 and all of Game 5 with what the Leafs have deemed a “lingering” illness.
Toronto’s top center has skated on his own the past three days — including for nearly 30 minutes prior to the Leafs’ morning skate Thursday — but coach Sheldon Keefe said it would be the team’s doctors ultimately making a call on whether Matthews made it into the lineup.
Toronto already extended its series once without Matthews available when they topped Boston 2-1 in overtime of Game 5. The Leafs planned to use a similar blueprint in Game 6 to grind the Bruins down and even the series one last time.
“It’s a bit of the human nature piece; you recognize everyone has to be better,” Keefe said of the Leafs performing well without Matthews. “It’s more the confidence our team has and how we’ve responded when players have been out. You’ve got to find a way to win a game … I think that piece is important. We have confidence there, we have trust in the group, and if anything, it just shows the strength of the group and not looking to others, but just doing your part.”
Max Domi moved into Matthews’ top-line center spot in Game 5 and was dominant in the faceoff dot (85.7%) while notching one assist. He also took over Matthews’ spot with Toronto’s top power play, which is a dismal 1-for-17 in the postseason. The Leafs also shuffled William Nylander — still adjusting to the postseason after being sidelined by injury for the first three games — to their second line.
Toronto did get a herculean effort from Matthews — who won his third Rocket Richard Trophy this season by pacing the league with 69 goals — prior to his illness absence through a three-point performance in the Leafs’ Game 2 victory.
Missing that type of difference-maker would be a hindrance for most teams, but the Leafs found ways to fill the Matthews void with a next-man-up mentality.
“Maybe instead of relying on him, we’re desperate to play good, because one of our best players is out of the lineup,” Nick Robertson said. “When you realize you don’t have a near 70-goal scorer in the lineup, we’ve got to find a way to play well.”
Toronto has no choice on that front. The Leafs enter Game 6 searching for their first playoff win on home ice in this series and have lost six consecutive postseason contests in their own building dating back to last year. They’ll have one final chance to change that and push the series to Boston for a decisive Game 7 — when Matthews may, or may not, be able to return.
“It’s difficult when one of the best players in the world isn’t available,” John Tavares said. “But it’s the nature of the game. Guys responded really well last game and it’s the same type of mentality. We’ve got to step up and do more and not have one guy trying to fill [Matthews] shoes.”
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Alden Gonzalez
The San Francisco Giants, suddenly back in the playoff race with two weeks remaining in the regular season, called up their top prospect Bryce Eldridge, the team announced Monday.
Eldridge, a 20-year-old first baseman who was No. 29 in the latest prospect rankings by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, will seemingly fill the role vacated by fellow left-handed hitter Dominic Smith, who went on the injured list because of a hamstring strain over the weekend.
The 16th pick out of high school in 2023, Eldridge surged in Double-A at the start of the season and was slashing .249/.322/.514 with 18 homers, 88 strikeouts and 28 walks for the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate. His strikeout rate remained high of late, but his production improved over these past 17 games, during which he boasted a .294 batting average with 10 extra-base hits.
The Giants were using Rafael Devers at first base and designated hitter, with Smith and the right-handed-hitting Wilmer Flores essentially platooning at the other spot. Eldridge will be playoff eligible.
After acquiring Devers in the middle of June, the Giants went 13-22 heading into the trade deadline at the end of July, prompting the front office to deal veteran players. As of Aug. 22, the Giants were seven games below .500 and 7½ games out of the final National League wild-card spot, but they have since won 14 of 20 games and trail the slumping New York Mets by only 1½ games with 13 remaining.
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