‘No determination’ on Auston Matthews as Maple Leafs prepare to face Bruins in Game 7

The Toronto Maple Leafs will look to complete an improbable comeback when they face the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the NHL playoffs tonight.

Toronto has only come back from a 3-1 series deficit to win a series once — in 1942 when the club was down 3-0 to the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup final.

The Maple Leafs could once again be without centre Auston Matthews. The 26-year-old was pulled from Game 4 in the second intermission with a mystery illness and did not play in either Game 5 or 6 as he recovers from an undisclosed injury. The Maple Leafs have won both games that Matthews has missed.

Matthews was on the ice with the rest of his teammates for the morning skate on Saturday. He took part in several drills but the team did not practice with any set lines.

Afterwards, head coach Sheldon Keefe said there’s been no determination made on his availability for Game 7 but cryptically indicated he’s likely to sit out a third straight game.

“As of right now, we’re proceeding as we’ve been,” said Keefe.

Also joining the morning skate was Bobby McMann, who has been sidelined in the opening round of the playoffs with a lower-body injury suffered against the Detroit Red Wings back on April 13. Keefe said he would not be in the lineup tonight.

Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery was clear in expressing that his top players needed to perform as such after Boston’s 2-1 Game 6 loss to the Leafs on Thursday.

He specifically called out star forward David Pastrnak, who has been held pointless the last two games, both of which Boston has lost.

Pastrnak acknowledged that he “should maybe have a little bit more of a shooting mentality,” but with the season on the line in Game 7 Saturday, the entire Bruins offence could use more to prevent an early start to the off-season.

The winner moves on to play the Florida Panthers.

Watch all the action on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+, starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.

Matthews picked up his third nomination for the NHL’s Lady Byng Memorial Trophy on Saturday.

Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson and Jaccob Slavin of the Hurricanes are the other finalists for the award given annually to “the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.”

Matthews, the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy winner as the NHL’s top goal-scorer this season, had 69 goals and 107 points this season — both career highs — while picking up 20 minutes in penalties, as his team made the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.

Pettersson, 25, had 34 goals and 55 assists, which was down slightly from the season before for the Vancouver forward, but posted a career high with 10 game-winning goals as his Canucks soared to a 50-23-9 record and just their second playoff berth in nine seasons. The Swede spent just 12 minutes in the penalty box all season.

Slavin won the award in 2021 and was a finalist for it again in 2022. The 30-year-old Carolina defenceman had a bounce-back year this season with 37 points, while drawing just eight minutes in penalties.