What is the Timeline for Auston Matthews' Return to Maple Leafs After Injury?

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews will miss "at least a week" with a lower body injury suffered during his team's 5-3 road loss at the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN Hockey.

The 10-year veteran has posted nine goals and five assists in 17 games for the Maple Leafs this season.

Matthews notably went to the locker room in the second period and did not return after taking a hit from Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov, who was not penalized.

This is a tough blow for the Maple Leafs, who are scuffling through an 8-8-1 season capped by a three-game losing streak that featured the team allowing five regulation goals in each contest.

Scoring isn't an issue, with Toronto's 62 goals ranking third in the 32-team NHL. However, the Maple Leafs have allowed 65 goals, which ranks second-worst in the league.

However, losing Matthews, a superstar center who has scored 410 goals in his decade in the league, is certainly a blow to the team's offense in the short-term.

Thankfully, this doesn't appear to be a long-term injury, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet noted.

If Matthews is out at least a week, as Johnston reported, then it appears he'll miss four games. Toronto hosts the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday before visiting the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.

They'll return home for games against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday and the Columbus Blue Jackets next Thursday before embarking on a six-game road trip from Nov. 22-Dec. 4.