NHL: Auston Matthews battles for puck – Source: Imagn

Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs will have their second crack at eliminating the Ottawa Senators from the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Tuesday night.

A 4-3 overtime loss in Game 4 on Saturday night squashed any hopes of a sweep, sending the Battle of Ontario back to Toronto for a pivotal Game 5.

The Maple Leafs and their fans remain confident with a 3-1 series lead; however, concern rose when Auston Matthews was nowhere to be found at practice on Monday. The team was on it, quickly announcing that his absence was just for rest, and the superstar center was back on the ice for Tuesday’s morning skate.

Matthews spoke to the media after going on the ice and was asked about his rest day. Reporter Nick Barden shared his response on X (formerly Twitter).

“I just listen to the body, and sometimes you just feel like you need a little bit of a rest or time off the ice. I think it’s not a big deal,” Matthews said.

Matthews missed 15 games during the regular season because of a nagging upper-body injury that sidelined him on two different occasions. It’s fair to wonder whether he’s still not fully healthy, though nobody is at this time of the year.

The Maple Leafs captain is in the first season of his four-year, $53,000,000 contract extension signed to stay in Toronto during the 2023 offseason.

Auston Matthews has been productive in Round 1 against the Senators

Auston Matthews is stepping up his play when it matters the most.

The 27-year-old has been on the scoresheet in all four games thus far, amassing six points (one goal, five assists) and a +4 rating in that span. He’s shouldered a heavy workload, averaging 21:40 minutes of ice time per game, while dominating in the faceoff circle at 57.9%.

His line with Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies has created problems for Ottawa’s defense throughout the series. All that’s been lacking for Matthews is goal scoring, though you have to figure the longer Toronto’s postseason run goes, the more likely he’ll eventually break through. It’s hard to keep such an elite sniper quiet for too long.

Matthews and the Maple Leafs will look to close out their first-round series with the Senators in Game 5 on Tuesday night in Toronto. The puck drops at 7 p.m. EDT at Scotiabank Arena.