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'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.

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

The Toronto Maple Leafs missed their captain for about a month earlier in the season due to an upper-body injury, and when he returned it was expected he would

Craig Berube announced that Auston Matthews is still not ready to return from his injury and will be out tonight and tomorrow after re-aggravating an upper-body injury.

After Auston Matthews briefly returned before the holiday break, it was announced that he had re-aggravated his injury. The hope was that the break would give the Maple Leafs' captain the needed time to recover. Unfortunately for Mathews, he remains out.

The center has already missed two straight games because of an upper-body injury, and was ruled out through the weekend, which also includes a game against the Washington Capitals on Saturday. "He's doing better,