The forward is day to day with a "minor injury." He missed a 4-2 win against the New York Islanders in Toronto on Sunday.
"We're not just resting Auston in this case," Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. "He's got an injury that maybe he could play through but that doesn't make sense to do so. It just speaks to the fact that we are looking bigger picture here. We've got individual accomplishments, team accomplishments in the regular season. We're mindful of them and they're important in their own way, but the ultimate goal is for us to be ready to compete come playoff time. That's what it's all about."
Matthews leads the NHL with 58 goals and has 102 points in 70 games to help Toronto (50-20-6) to second place in the Atlantic Division, six points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning entering Tuesday. Keefe said Matthews and defenseman Jake Muzzin (undisclosed) will travel for a three-game road trip beginning at the Lightning on Thursday.
"He's feeling really good," Keefe said. "(The medical staff thinks) despite the fact he's feeling really good, a little more time would benefit him even more, so that's what we'll give him."
The Maple Leafs are 5-1-0 without Matthews. Center John Tavares replaced him on a line with left wing Ilya Mikheyev and right wing Mitchell Marner.
"It's hard to replace an Auston, I don't know if you can," goalie Jack Campbell said. "No disrespect to anybody else, but he does so many world-class things. He just means so much to our dressing room, on the ice and off the ice. But man, what a great opportunity it was for everybody to step up without him tonight, and I thought everybody battled super hard and got a big win."
