Sheldon Keefe reveals why Auston Matthews left Game 4.

Fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs can breathe a collective sigh of relief, as it appears the worst has been avoided.

Maple Leafs star forward Auston Matthews was notably absent at the start of the third period of Game 4 between the Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins on Saturday night, leading many to fear he had been injured. Those fears were only amplified when the Maple Leafs revealed that Matthews would not return to the game.

Thankfully for the Maple Leafs it appears as though that was not the case, with head coach Sheldon Keefe providing an update on Matthews' status following Game 4. Although Matthews did leave the game for medical reasons, at the advice of team doctors, it sounds like that decision was due to illness rather than an injury.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman hinted at the fact that Matthews may have been dealing with food poisoning earlier in the week, which would line up with what we heard after Game 4.

"He came in coming off an illness of some kind," revealed Friedman on Saturday night. "Food poisoning or something, I'm not sure exactly what."

It seems likely, given this information, that you can expect Matthews back in the lineup for Game 5.