TORONTO -- Auston Matthews will be out for the rest of the regular season for the Toronto Maple Leafs because of a grade 3 MCL tear and quad contusion in his left leg.
The 28-year-old forward will be reevaluated in two weeks, when a further update will be provided.
Matthews sustained the injury in a knee-on-knee collision with defenseman Radko Gudas in a 6-4 win against the Anaheim Ducks at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday. He crumpled to the ice when he tried to sidestep the hit in the slot from Gudas, who was assessed a major penalty for kneeing and a game misconduct at 15:47 of the second period. Matthews was helped off the ice by a trainer and teammate Brandon Carlo, putting minimal weight on his left leg.
Gudas had a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety on Friday for kneeing.
As much as Toronto coach Craig Berube was perturbed by Gudas' actions, he also was irked by his team's lack of a response in that moment. None of Toronto's other four skaters on the ice, forwards William Nylander and rookie Easton Cowan, and defensemen Morgan Rielly and Carlo, confronted Gudas while their captain was writhing in pain on the ice.
When asked if he had an explanation as to why his players did not immediately react in that situation, Berube replied: "No. Obviously, we should have four guys in there doing something about it, but it didn't happen."
It was a heated topic between the coach and his players in Toronto's dressing room during the second intermission, a number of Maple Leafs said. That exchange then sparked an emotional final 20 minutes of physical play in which Toronto outscored Anaheim 3-1 to end an eight-game skid (0-6-2).
"I thought we responded in the third. A good response there," Berube said. "But we all would have liked everyone to get in there right away."
Rielly, in particular, took accountability for his inaction at the time of the incident.
"I didn't have a good view of it just because the puck was going the other way," he said. "But it's on me for not responding earlier to Gudas. Obviously it's a dirty hit. I didn't understand how bad he got him in the moment, but I take full responsibility for not being the first one in there or not being in there quicker to respond.
"That being said, I thought our group played well in the third and ultimately was able to respond. But, ultimately, when your captain goes down like that on a dirty play, you have to respond as a group. But I also take responsibility for not being the first one in there after the hit."
Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said he did not think Gudas' hit on Matthews was intentional.
"There’s no premeditation. It was a reflex action," Quenneville said.
Prior to the hit, Matthews scored a power-play goal at 10:47 of the second period to cut Toronto's deficit to 3-2. It was his first goal since Jan. 27, ending a 12-game drought.
