Auston Matthews reportedly played through injury last game on 'pure adrenaline'

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been battling throughout the 2025/26 season thus far, and while they've somewhat improved as of late, they still have a 17-15-6 record and sit in last place in the Atlantic Division.

On Sunday, they failed to capitalize on the road against the Detroit Red Wings, coming up short 3-2 in overtime in a game that had plenty of drama, but also implications for the remainder of the year in Toronto.

One player that's been battling through injuries for the entire year has been captain Auston Matthews, and while he has appeared in 33 of the teams 38 games in 2025/26, on Sunday, things seemingly got worse.

According to Elliotte Friedman, Matthews finished that game against the Red Wings on 'pure adrenaline', and given how the injuries have piled up for him over the past three years, this is the last thing that Maple Leafs fans will want to hear as they aim to stay in the Stanley Cup Playoffs race in the East.

Now, Matthews is a game-time decision for the Maple Leafs in their next matchup against the New Jersey Devils, showing that Matthews isn't handling these injuries as well as first thought.

In 33 games played, the captain has tallied 15 goals and 27 points, but clearly he's nowhere near 100%, and if he continues to rely on pure adrenaline alone to get him through games, this is going to continue being a very disappointing year in Toronto.