Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews to miss Game 6 of first

TORONTO (AP) — Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Auston Matthews will miss Thursday night’s Game 6 against the Boston Bruins.

Coach Sheldon Keefe said following Thursday’s morning skate that Matthews would be unavailable with Toronto trailing 3-2 in its first-round playoff series.

Matthews, who led the NHL with 69 goals in the regular season, was pulled from Game 4 with an illness and didn’t play in Tuesday’s 2-1 overtime victory in Boston with the Leafs facing elimination.

The 26-year-old center skated for about 30 minutes Thursday morning before Toronto’s playing group took the ice.

The Leafs were also without star winger William Nylander for the first three games of the best-of-seven matchup.

Game 7, if necessary, would be Saturday in Boston.

Leafs captain John Tavares says Toronto has dealt with big absences in the past.

“It’s the nature of the game, the sport,” he said. “Guys responded really well last game. We gotta play together as a group, everyone stepping up and doing more.

“Not one guy trying to fill his shoes.”

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl