TORONTO — Auston Matthews sustained a lower-body injury during the second period of Thursday’s game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Anaheim Ducks at Scotiabank Arena, ultimately exiting the contest as the Maple Leafs secured a 6-4 victory.
The incident occurred at 15:47 when Matthews attempted to evade a hit from Ducks captain Radko Gudas, who was immediately assessed a major penalty for kneeing and a game misconduct.
Matthews remained on the ice for several minutes before being assisted off the playing surface by a trainer and teammate Brandon Carlo, visibly favoring his left leg and unable to put significant weight on it.
Prior to the injury, Matthews had broken a 12-game goal drought, scoring a power-play goal at 10:47 of the second period to bring the Maple Leafs within one at 3-2. The goal marked his first since January 27th.
The Maple Leafs captain has registered 53 points this season, comprised of 27 goals and 26 assists, in 60 games played. This injury comes at a critical juncture in the season as Toronto battles for positioning in the Eastern Conference standings.
