The Maple Leafs likely will be without captain Auston Matthews for at least the next two games, although the star center is said to be doing better as he recovers from an upper-body injury.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without captain Auston Matthews for at least the next two games as the star center continues to nurse an upper-body injury, NHL.com reported Friday. Matthews, 27, has missed Toronto's last two games and will sit out Friday's contest at Detroit and Saturday's home showdown against Washington.

Once again this season, true to their habits, the Toronto Maple Leafs are having an excellent regular season. They are currently in first place in the Atlantic Division ahead of the defending Stanley Cup champions,

Upper-body injury bothers Auston Matthews once again, and the Maple Leafs superstar will miss the next two games.

Matthews's outlook has been up in the air since he re-aggravated an upper-body injury during a 6-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 20. Head coach Craig Berube later revealed that the 27-year-old sharpshooter would be sidelined until after the holidays, leaving optimists hoping for a return as early as Friday.

It was clear before Craig Berube revealed Matthews was still “fighting through” something that not all was right with the Leafs captain.

Toronto captain Auston Matthews sat out the Maple Leafs’ game Saturday night against the New York Islanders because of an undisclosed injury.

Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews is out for Monday's game against the Winnipeg Jets continuing an injury-filled season.

Auston Matthews’ return to the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup after dealing with an upper-body injury was relatively short-lived. Following last Friday’s win over the Buffalo Sabres, it was revealed that Toronto’s captain aggravated the injury during the game.