Matthews' status confirmed for Game 5 and it's not good news

The Toronto Maple Leafs have confirmed Auston Matthews' status for Game 5 against the Boston Bruins and it's not good news.

Matthews status was up in the air following a very brief morning skate that saw him take to the ice for just five minutes this morning. Matthews has been deal with what has been called an «illness» by Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe who said final clearance would come from team doctors. Clearly, Matthews is not well enough and the doctors did not give him the «all clear» to play in what could be the Leafs final game of the season.

It's a huge blow to the Leafs with their playoffs on the line, but they will have to find a way to pull out a victory without the three-time Rocket Richard winner if they want to give their fans another home game. They will hope that the likes of Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander can find some success against Jeremy Swayman and play their best games of the season tonight.