When the Toronto Maple Leafs placed Auston Matthews on injured reserve (IR) ahead of their weekend matchups, it wasn’t due to a worsening of his injury. Instead, it was a smart roster management decision that allowed the Leafs to activate Connor Dewar from his AHL conditioning stint, as the team announced prior to Friday's game against Detroit.

TORONTO -- Auston Matthews will miss his second straight game because of an upper-body injury when the Toronto Maple Leafs play the Detroit Red Wings on Friday (7 p.m. ET; TSN4, TVAS-D, FDSNDET).

The Montreal Canadiens enjoyed a day off yesterday while their host tonight, the Toronto Maple Leafs, had a date with the Detroit Red Wings.

William Nylander and Cole Caufield are two of the most exciting players to keep an eye on when the Toronto Maple Leafs face the Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday, November 9 at 7:00 PM ET. See below to read more about Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens leaders, insights, and a predicted winner.

See below to read more about Rangers vs. Red Wings leaders, insights, and a predicted winner. Watch New York Rangers vs. Detroit Red Wings on ESPN+. Our prediction uses a team strength comparison algorithm,