Auston Matthews, the NHL’s leading goal scorer in the regular season, won’t practice Friday for what the Toronto Maple Leafs called a “maintenance” day off.
Also not practicing ahead of Game 4 of the Leafs’ first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins is defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin, who announced Thursday that his wife, Diana, gave birth to the couple’s third child, a girl.
The Bruins lead the Maple Leafs 2-1 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series. Game 4 is set for Saturday in Toronto.
Matthews, 26, recorded career bests in goals (69) and points (107) in the 2023-24 season. He has one goal and two assists in the series.
Lyubushkin, 30, has one assist in the series. Acquired from Anaheim at the trade deadline, he had four assists in 19 games for the Maple Leafs this season.
