<p>The <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/toronto-maple-leafs/line-combinations">Toronto Maple Leafs</a> hold a 3-1 series lead over the Ottawa Senators, as the Battle of Ontario returns to the province&#8217;s capital Tuesday night.</p>
<p>While the Leafs are hoping to punch their ticket to the second round in front of their home crowd, one story dominated the media circuit Monday as captain Auston Matthews <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/auston-matthews-rest-day-toronto-maple-leafs-practice">did not practice with the team, taking a rest day.</a> Speaking to media after an <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/scenes-toronto-maple-leafs-morning-skate-matthews-domi-shooting-drills-no-lineup-changes">optional morning skate</a> Tuesday, Matthews said he&#8217;s feeling fine and that it was indeed just a needed rest day.</p>
<p>&#8220;Just listen to the body sometimes,&#8221; Matthews said. &#8220;Sometimes you feel like you just need a little bit of rest or time off the ice. I think it&#8217;s not a big deal.&#8221;</p>
<p>Pushed specifically on what percentage of full health he&#8217;s feeling right now, the 27-year-old gave a rather neutral answer.</p>
<p>&#8220;I think everybody&#8217;s grinding right now,&#8221; Matthews said. &#8220;It&#8217;s that point in the season where it&#8217;s hard, physical hockey. You&#8217;re ready to go through different things. It&#8217;s nothing that&#8217;s abnormal, everyone is grinding and playing hard right now, it&#8217;s not a big deal.&#8221;</p>
<p>Matthews missed 15 games during the regular season with an upper-body injury but appears to be in top form during the playoffs. Through four games played, Matthews is tied for second in points on the Leafs with six, regularly logging over 20 minutes a game. He played 67 games this year, which included a trip to Germany for treatment. Although it paled in comparison to his 69-goal campaign last year, Matthews finished the season with 33 goals and 78 points in 67 games.</p>
<p>No stranger to battling through injuries himself, veteran forward Max Pacioretty spoke about Matthews&#8217; resilience ahead of Tuesday night&#8217;s contest.</p>
<p>“He’s an extremely hard worker, one of the hardest I’ve seen,” Pacioretty said. “Everyone’s talking about talent, but nothing was given to him. He&#8217;s put in the work, whether it&#8217;s recovery or just doing what it takes to feel good that night.&#8221;</p>
<p>While there&#8217;s certainly <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/a-plea-for-rationality-merits-natural-confidence">some anxiety</a> surrounding the Leafs captain, for his part he says he&#8217;s ready to go.</p>
<h3>Sponsored by bet365</h3>


The <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/toronto-maple-leafs/line-combinations">Toronto Maple Leafs</a> hold a 3-1 series lead over the Ottawa Senators, as the Battle of Ontario returns to the province's capital Tuesday night.

While the Leafs are hoping to punch their ticket to the second round in front of their home crowd, one story dominated the media circuit Monday as captain Auston Matthews <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/auston-matthews-rest-day-toronto-maple-leafs-practice">did not practice with the team, taking a rest day.</a> Speaking to media after an <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/scenes-toronto-maple-leafs-morning-skate-matthews-domi-shooting-drills-no-lineup-changes">optional morning skate</a> Tuesday, Matthews said he's feeling fine and that it was indeed just a needed rest day.

"Just listen to the body sometimes," Matthews said. "Sometimes you feel like you just need a little bit of rest or time off the ice. I think it's not a big deal."

Pushed specifically on what percentage of full health he's feeling right now, the 27-year-old gave a rather neutral answer.

"I think everybody's grinding right now," Matthews said. "It's that point in the season where it's hard, physical hockey. You're ready to go through different things. It's nothing that's abnormal, everyone is grinding and playing hard right now, it's not a big deal."

Matthews missed 15 games during the regular season with an upper-body injury but appears to be in top form during the playoffs. Through four games played, Matthews is tied for second in points on the Leafs with six, regularly logging over 20 minutes a game. He played 67 games this year, which included a trip to Germany for treatment. Although it paled in comparison to his 69-goal campaign last year, Matthews finished the season with 33 goals and 78 points in 67 games.

No stranger to battling through injuries himself, veteran forward Max Pacioretty spoke about Matthews' resilience ahead of Tuesday night's contest.

“He’s an extremely hard worker, one of the hardest I’ve seen,” Pacioretty said. “Everyone’s talking about talent, but nothing was given to him. He's put in the work, whether it's recovery or just doing what it takes to feel good that night."

While there's certainly <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/a-plea-for-rationality-merits-natural-confidence">some anxiety</a> surrounding the Leafs captain, for his part he says he's ready to go.
<h3>Sponsored by bet365</h3>

Auston Matthews says he’s feeling fine ahead of Game 5 after missing practice Monday

Recent articles from Dylan Nazareth

Breaking News