Leafs Will Need To End 6-Game Home Playoff Losing Streak Without Auston Matthews

The Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves down 3-2 against the Boston Bruins with Game 6 in Toronto on Thursday night

While you'd think the prospect of a win-or-go-home game in their own barn would be exciting for the Leafs, they'll actually need to snap a six-game home playoff losing streak to send the series back to Boston.

To complicate matters further, they'll have to do it without their best player, Auston Matthews.

People are increasingly realizing that the Leafs are the Dallas Cowboys on ice. They're an incredible franchise with an incredible history and success in decades past, but as for recent playoff success?

Crickets.

READ: LEAFS FAN WITH INCREDIBLE MANCAVE TELLS OUTKICK ABOUT HIS GOAL BEER CELEBRATION AHEAD OF GAME 6

What's wild is the Leafs' at-home playoff losing streak which dates back to last season. Considering home ice is regarded as an advantage (how much of one is up for debate), but for the Leafs it's been a problem.

There's no doubt that Toronto is one of the National Hockey League's most high-pressure cities to play in, and it might be causing the team some problems.

That pressure is justified. Fans are right to expect way more out of this team than one series win since 2004. Especially with their current core of John Tavares, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Matthews.

And speaking of the NHL's leading goal scorer…

Auston Matthews will be out of the lineup for Thursday night's Game 6. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)

Leafs Coach Confirmed That Auston Matthews Will Miss Game 6

Auston Matthews left the ice in the middle of Game 4 due to a battle with some kind of illness, that was reported to have been food poisoning or a stomach bug.

But now, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe has ruled the 69-goal scorer out for tonight.

According to CBS Sports, Matthews skated earlier in the day on Thursday but hopped off the ice before the team started doing organized drills.

That's obviously a massive loss, but the Leafs had to win Game 5 without him and did. 

The Bruins said they weren't on their game the other night. Head coach Jim Montgomery flat-out said, "We weren’t good enough."

I'd expect Boston to come out buzzing tonight, and Toronto will have to weather that storm early on if they want to snap that home postseason losing streak and force Game 7.