The Toronto Maple Leafs are facing elimination tonight as they play the Boston Bruins in game five, down three games to one. Auston Matthews is out of the lineup supposedly due to illness, but NHL insider Elliotte Friedman believes that isn't the whole story. ESPN reporter Emily Kaplan was the first to report that Matthews would miss the game tonight. Oddly enough, she stated that she believes that he is missing due to something more significant than just an illness. <q>No Auston Matthews tonight for the Maple Leafs. Team is saying illness, feels like something more significant to keep a star player out of a potential elimination game.</q> Clearly, her position is a popular one as NHL insider Elliotte Friedman echoed her words on Sportsnet ahead of the game. Given how well connected Friedman is and who reputable he is, this seems to be more than sufficient evidence to suggest that Matthews is dealing with multiple ailments at the same time. <q>I don't believe that this is the illness anymore. @FriedgeHNIC and the panel discuss Auston Matthews' absence from Game 5.</q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1785439698451607606'> </a></blockquote></div> Should the Leafs lose tonight, we will likely hear the real reason why Matthews could not go as it would be their last game of the season. We will likely hear from Matthews himself if that were to happen. The team is still very much alive though, so we will just have to see how the rest of the series plays out. Source: HockeyPatrol <a href='https://www.hockeypatrol.com/nhl-team/toronto-maple-leafs/friedman-finally-reveals-the-truth-about-auston-matthews-injury' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Friedman finally reveals the truth about Auston Matthews' injury</a>