Flu game incoming? Leafs star Matthews is fighting illness

If the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to beat the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs, they’ll likely need a big performance from Auston Matthews over the coming games.

And unless he’s feeling better over the next 24 hours, it appears that Matthews will be doing so while under the weather.

Matthews missed Toronto’s practice today for a “maintenance day” and Wednesday’s morning skate. As per The Athletic’s Chris Johnston, Matthews played through an illness on Wednesday night.

Auston Matthews won't participate in today's #Leafs practice for what the team is calling a maintenance day. He played through an illness on Wednesday night.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) April 26, 2024

Through three games, Matthews has put up one goal — the remarkable breakaway winner in Game 2 — while adding two assists.

Of course, some of history’s most famous athletic performances have come while battling some sort of bug, including Michael Jordan’s infamous “flu game” in the 1997 NBA Finals, so perhaps Matthews will be able to drink a few fluids and compartmentalize whatever’s getting to him.

Meanwhile, William Nylander was back on the ice for Toronto on Friday afternoon. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Thursday that Nylander was dealing with severe and ongoing migraine issues that had held him out of the first three games of the series. No further update was available at press time on Nylander’s status for Game 4.

With Boston holding a 2-1 series lead, the two teams will meet again on Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena.

Leafs 2024 first-round playoff schedule

• Game 4: Saturday, April 27, Boston at Toronto, 8 pm ET
• Game 5: Tuesday, April 30, Toronto at Boston, TBD
• Game 6: Thursday, May 2, Boston at Toronto, TBD*
• Game 7: Saturday, May 4, Toronto at Boston, TBD*

*if necessary

You might also like:
• Leafs fans loving Tessa Virtue deciding against wearing WAG jacket