TORONTO — The Maple Leafs have managed pretty well minus star centre Auston Matthews.
The fact head coach Craig Berube had to call a timeout less than five minutes into Saturday's first period was a good indication Toronto wasn't following its usual script.Matthews sat out a 6-3 loss to the New York Islanders after taking a cross-check to the back late in Friday's victory over the Buffalo Sabres.
"We want him playing and feeling good whenever he's back and ready to go," said Leafs winger William Nylander, who scored twice against New York."I don't know when that is — hopefully soon." The Leafs, who resume their schedule Dec. 27 in Detroit against the Red Wings, fell to 7-3-0 this season minus Matthews and 42-22-2 since he entered the league in 2016-17.
"Best player in the world, so it definitely hurts," Toronto goaltender Joseph Woll added."But at the same time, I think our team has shown that we can rise to the occasion and play regardless who's in the lineup."The Islanders scored on two of their first three shots, forcing Berube to burn his timeout at 4:48 of the first period."Says a lot about that game," Ekman-Larsson replied when asked about the timing of Berube's message.
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