TORONTO -- Auston Matthews will not play for the Maple Leafs in either of their next two games, beginning against the Detroit Red Wings on Friday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, SNO, TVAS).

Matthews's outlook has been up in the air ever 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 tonight.

Auston Matthews wasn't on the ice during the Toronto Maple Leafs' full morning skate inside Little Caesars Arena on Friday morning. The 27-year-old forward has missed Toronto's last two games — both losses to the New York Islanders and Winnipeg Jets — after re-aggravating his previous upper-body injury from earlier in the season.

One of the weak spots for Detroit all season has been their penalty kill, which ranks 31st in the NHL with a lowly 68% kill rate. It gives up a hefty amount of scoring chances at 5-on-5, allowing 62.51 chances per 60 minutes, with a team save percentage of .771 on the PK.

Christmas, with Toronto’ top scorer to miss two more games, including his third consective and Friday night in Detroit. Coach Craig Berube told media in Detroit that while Matthews is improving, it’s unlikely he plays Saturday at home against the Washington Capitals,