Injured Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews will miss his fourth straight game when Toronto hosts the Devils on Thursday night.

Leafs coach Mike Babcock confirmed at practice that Matthews will sit out the game as he continues to deal with an upper-body injury.

Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce will miss the team's upcoming two-game road trip with a concussion.

Coach Bill Peters announced Pesce's condition Wednesday, one day after the defenseman was struck in the head by a puck during practice.

Bruins forward David Backes is going to undergo surgery to remove a portion of his colon and will miss about eight weeks, the team said Wednesday.

Backes has been dealing with diverticulitis, a disease characterized by inflammation in the intestinal tract.