Maple Leafs face Penguins minus Matthews (Mar 09, 2018)
TORONTO -- The Toronto Maple Leafs have been dealing with an injury to star center Auston Matthews, but the Pittsburgh Penguins have two new injury problems of their own.
A shoulder injury is expected to keep Matthews out of the game Saturday night when the Penguins visit the Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre.
Matthews sustained the injury in a 4-3 shootout victory over the New York Islanders on Feb. 22. Toronto is 1-2-2 in the games he has missed and has lost four in a row.
"He's progressing," Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. "What does that mean? I don't know the answer to that. When he's ready, he'll let us know. Ideally, we'll have him more than ready as far as fitness goes."
The Penguins, meanwhile, lost two players in their 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday. Coach Mike Sullivan announced after practice Friday that right winger Bryan Rust will not play Saturday because of a concussion, the result of a hit from Philadelphia defenseman Robert Hagg.
Sullivan also said that center Dominik Simon will be week-to-week with a lower-body injury suffered Wednesday. Riley Sheahan will take his place on the third line, moving from up from fourth-line center.
Goaltender Matt Murray, who suffered a concussion during practice on Feb. 26, took shots in a controlled setting for the first time since the injury and still it's not certain when he will return.
Sullivan said the versatile Rust is difficult to replace and he will take a committee approach with center Josh Jooris, acquired at the trade deadline from the Carolina Hurricanes, a prime candidate for the role. Jooris was recalled from the American Hockey League on an emergency basis.
"I think it's a great opportunity for Josh to play with our team and to try and help our team win," Sullivan said. "That's how this team has had success in my tenure here. Guys have been given opportunities and made the most of them. We have a healthy, internal competition within our organization. We think that's what keeps us all at our best.
"Josh is just another one of those guys that we believe can help us win. He's a good player. We're looking forward to seeing him play (Saturday) night."
Jooris said he brings the Penguins "a little versatility."
"I can play center or wing," he said. "I just like to bring an energy and make it hard on opposing defensemen and just be a smart player out there, be reliable. Try to be responsible in my own end and try and chip in offensively when I can."
"You can never have enough center icemen, that's how I think," Sullivan said. "It's a lot easier to move center icemen to the wings than it is to move the wings into a center-ice position. To have the amount of center icemen that we have right now, I think gives us a competitive advantage."
The Penguins (39-25-4) have won three games in a row. The Maple Leafs (39-22-7) completed an 0-2-2 trip with a 5-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Monday.
The Maple Leafs have had four days to prepare for the Penguins.
"We've been sliding a little bit, and I think now's a good time to get back on track," Toronto center Nazem Kadri said. "Just being able to try to play our best hockey and move things in the right direction to where we want to be come playoff time. These guys are contenders, are every year, and we're certainly going to try to make it hard on them."
"Watching those guys when they're playing really well is great," Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly said. "The way they play the game, the way they move the puck and create offensive opportunities for their linemates. ... It's about as good as it gets. Playing against them is tough, but it's a good test for our team looking to bounce back."
The Penguins defeated the Maple Leafs 5-3 on Feb. 17 at Pittsburgh after losing 4-3 at the ACC on Dec. 9.
