Exeter scrum-half Niall Armstrong has extended his contract at the Premiership club.

The 24-year-old Irishman has made 11 appearances for the Chiefs this season after making his debut in September.

A former Ulster youth player, he came to Sandy Park via the Chiefs' association with Exeter University.

Exeter have not disclosed the length of Armstrong's new deal.

"Hes been a great addition to the squad through what has proven to be a valuable pathway for us through the university," director of rugby Rob Baxter told the club website.

He was the universitys first-choice nine, he came here on an opportunity, and he has progressed with us fantastically well.

"Hes broken through into the Premiership team, playing very well in those games.

Hes another guy that picked up a relatively serious injury during the season but its great to have him back fighting fit now and involved in our remaining games of the season."

Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews remains questionable to play in Game 5 of Toronto's first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against Boston on Tuesday. Toronto faces elimination while trailing the Bruins 3-1 in their best-of-seven series.

Matthews -- who has been fighting a lingering illness for over a week -- skated less than 10 minutes prior to the Leafs' optional morning skate at TD Garden on Tuesday. He went through some light drill work with Toronto's assistant coaches and departed before the full session got underway.

It was the first time Matthews had been on the ice since being pulled by Toronto's doctors before the third period in Game 4 on Saturday. Coach Sheldon Keefe said it would be the doctors again deciding whether Matthews was healthy enough to suit up for Game 5.

"He's working through things to try to make himself available to play. No determination at this time," Keefe said. "We'll see how the rest of the day goes."

Keefe declined to comment further when asked if there was anything else Matthews was dealing with beyond just the illness.

"I've already answered too many questions on the situation," Keefe said. "At this time of the year, we're not going to answer much else."

Matthews played through his sickness in Game 3, a 4-2 Leafs' loss, and stayed in through the first 40 minutes of Toronto's 3-1 defeat in Game 4. The Leafs' top center had his best outing in Game 2, tallying all three points he's earned this series, including the game-winning goal.

If Matthews isn't able to play, Keefe plans to move Max Domi to Matthews' top line spot and elevate William Nylander to the team's second line. Domi would also take Matthews' spot on the Leafs' sputtering power play, which is 1-for-11 in the playoffs.

Toronto is eyeing a change in net as well for Game 5, projecting to go from Ilya Samsonov to Joseph Woll. Samsonov has started all four games against Boston so far but was replaced by Woll for the third period in Game 4 after Samsonov allowed three goals on 16 shots. Woll made five saves in relief of Samsonov.

The 25-year-old had a solid regular season primarily backing up for Samsonov, collecting a 12-11-1 record with .907 SV% and 2.94 GAA. Woll got his first taste of NHL postseason hockey last year when Samsonov was injured in the second round against Florida and Woll took over the crease, posting a .915 SV% and 2.43 GAA.

Woll did not participate in the Leafs' skate -- and Samsonov did -- to indicate Woll was the likely starter.

"For a young guy he's pretty steady," Leafs forward Ryan Reaves said of Woll. "I think he's excited to get in there and do his thing. We're a confident bunch when he's in the net."

Keefe stressed after Monday's practice the importance of Toronto improving on special teams and goaltending if they were to stay alive for Game 6. Boston's halted their goalie rotation and stuck with Jeremy Swayman for three of the four games, and Swayman's been excellent (3-0-0, .956 SV%, 1.34 GAA). The Bruins' power play has also given the Leafs' fits at 6-for-13 in the series.

Boston had both Brad Marchand and Danton Heinen back at their own morning skate Tuesday after the veterans sat out Monday's session for maintenance. Coach Jim Montgomery had hinted at a possible return for injured skaters Derek Forbort and Justin Brazeau as well but wasn't tipping his hand on Tuesday.

"Might be some lineup changes," Montgomery said. "Or, might be exact same lineup [as Game 4]."

WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- Winnipeg forward Vladislav Namestnikov and defenseman Brenden Dillon are recovering from injuries and won't be available for Game 5 against Colorado on Tuesday night as the Jets try to avoid playoff elimination.

Namestnikov fractured his cheekbone in Game 4 on Sunday when he was hit by a deflected puck on a shot. Dillon suffered a deep laceration on his hand in a scrum after the final horn of Game 3 when he appeared to be cut by a skate blade. The Jets trail 3-1 in the first-round, best-of-seven series.

Jets coach Rick Bowness said Tuesday following the morning skate in Winnipeg that he checked in with Namestnikov the night before. Namestnikov stayed an extra day in Denver to recover.

"He's nauseous. He hasn't eaten. So he's not feeling great," Bowness said. "Dilly, of course, you know him -- two broken hands and he'd still want to play, but we'll give him a couple days."

Forward Cole Perfetti, a first-round pick in 2020, is expected to make his NHL playoff debut. It's a difficult moment for the 22-year-old after seeing the injury to Namestnikov.

"He's one of our brothers and such a great guy. He plays his heart out every single game," Perfetti said. "To see that happen, I mean, for the people that were there in the rink it was silent. You could hear a pin drop. It was tough to watch, to see one of your really good friends and teammate and brother go down like that and kind of not know really what was happening."

Namestnikov, 31, was trying to jump out of the way of a shot from teammate Nate Schmidt when the puck hit a stick and struck him. Namestnikov stayed down on the ice as trainers rushed out. He went to the hospital for further evaluation.

"It was great to see him after he saw the doctors and what-not, and he was doing relatively OK," Perfetti said. "That was a big relief for us."

ARLINGTON, Va. -- T.J. Oshie lingered on the ice long after many of his Washington Capitals teammates departed for the locker room following the loss that eliminated them from the playoffs.

His family was at all four games, including in New York, just in case. They could be the final ones he plays in the NHL.

Oshie isn't calling it a career just yet, but the 37-year-old winger acknowledged Tuesday he and doctors must find a solution to his chronic back problems before committing to return for a 17th season.

"I'd love to play next year, but I will need to come back with somewhat of a guarantee that my back won't be -- it's hard putting everyone through the situation," Oshie said. "I'd like to find just an answer and a fix to the problem before I make another run at it."

Oshie's back and other injuries limited him to 52 of 82 games during the regular season, and he played the series finale against the Rangers with a broken left hand.

"A broken hand is like a hangnail compared to what I go through with my back," Oshie said, adding he's often on the floor unable to move when it gives out. "There's been a lot of just extra things that I have to do to make sure that my back is ready to play an NHL game."

Already expecting center Nicklas Backstrom to remain on long-term injured in the final year of his contract after stepping away in November because of a nagging hip issue, general manager Brian MacLellan said the team will support Oshie whichever decision he makes and doesn't have a date by which he'd like an answer.

"If he determines at some point that he feels good, he wants to come back to play, let's go that way," MacLellan said. "If he doesn't, we'll work it out that way, too."

Oshie's presence or lack thereof would certainly affect how the Capitals affect the offseason, whether they can use his $5.75 million salary space or need to fill a major void.

"He's a big part of our team," MacLellan said. "You have him, or you go out and find a guy."

Oshie, who reached the 1,000 games milestone and scored the empty-net goal that clinched a playoff spot, long ago emerged as a popular teammate and fan favorite and was the Capitals' emotional engine for nearly a decade while playing through injuries.

"He's a warrior," captain Alex Ovechkin said. "He's a guy who brings energy on the ice and off the ice. He have so much respect from the coaching staff to the fans and from the players, as well. He's a guy who brings everything to this group on the ice and off the ice."

As for Ovechkin, after scoring just eight goals in his first 43 games of the season, the superstar went on a tear down the stretch to finish with 31 before being held without a point in a playoff series for the first time. At 853, he's 42 away from Wayne Gretzky's NHL career record, turns 39 in September and has two years remaining on his contract.

"If I make it, it's good, but it's still 42 goals," Ovechkin said. "It's kind of a long way. But it's possible if you're going to be healthy, yeah."

MacLellan joked about penciling in Ovechkin for 42 next season, knowing full well it's unfair to expect one of the oldest players in the league to carry Washington offensively. His hope is also to add through trades and free agency to give Ovechkin some help.

In an effort to improve communication with fans, chief refereeing officer Howard Webb has said Premier League referees could soon announce to stadium crowds and television audiences why they have changed their decisions after visiting the VAR monitor.

Explanations would only be announced when a referee has visited the pitch-side monitor and not VAR checks which do not result in the on-field decision being overturned.

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The change must still be approved by the Premier League, although that is likely to be a formality for it to be introduced for next season.

Speaking on his regular television show "Match Officials Mic'd Up," Webb said he hopes the move will help fans understand the VAR process and offer more clarity.

"It does need improving, doesn't it," Webb said when asked about the information available within the grounds. "When you hear the clips on shows like this it makes sense what's happening; it all becomes apparent. We're looking at ways to improve the in-stadium experience.

"One of the things you'll have seen maybe in FIFA tournaments, like the Women's World Cup, is announcements from the referee once they've been to the screen. So we're looking at that, we're keeping an open mind about whether that's something we could utilise in the Premier League.

"It would be really useful for the referee to be able to speak to all of the people in the stadium -- [to explain] the rationale."

The IFAB, a body which determines football's laws, began a successful 12-month trial in international tournaments last year, including at the Women's World Cup, and added it to the Laws of the Game in November, allowing all leagues to opt in and institue the change.

Several leagues have introducd the policy, including Liga MX, MLS and the Australian A League.

It was initially met with scepticism at the Women's World Cup, where referees' explanations were often drowned out after a decision was announced. But FIFA learned from those early hiccups, flipping the process to begin with the explanation first and then announce the final decision.

It will fall short of the expectations of many fans however, as the IFAB remains steadfastly opposed to broadcasting the real-time conversations between the VAR and on-field referee.

Webb also conceded that there was a VAR error in Nottingham Forest's controversial 2-0 defeat at Everton earlier this month. A penalty should have been awarded when Callum Hudson-Odoi was brought down by Ashley Young in the 55th minute.

Forest reacted angrily to three penalty decisions which went against them, calling into the question the integrity of the VAR, Stuart Attwell, a supporter of Luton Town who, like Forest, are fighting to avoid relegation from the Premier League. Forest are expected to be charged by the Football Association over their reaction.

The Premier League's Independent Key Match Incidents Panel ruled on Monday that only the challenge on Hudson-Odoi was a VAR error and should have been referred by the VAR, a view supported by Webb.

"We did hear [referee] Anthony Taylor in the footage there say that he believed the ball had been played by Ashley Young, and we know that's not the case," Webb explained. "We know only Callum Hudson-Odoi touches the ball.

"The first job of the VAR is to look at the footage available and make the judgement, 'Was the on-field decision clearly wrong?' You could have a situation where the referee describes that the ball has been played by the defender. But actually when the VAR looks at it, sees that's not the case, but it's still not a penalty. It might be that the attacker has simulated, for example.

"So you can't only rely on what the referee is saying to make the judgement of whether something is clearly and obviously wrong. But if there's a VAR, you're looking at it thinking, 'Is it clearly wrong or not?' You can absolutely factor in what the referee says as well. And if there's a particular aspect like, 'Who's played the ball?' it's an important aspect that can be factored in to give the confidence to the VAR that, 'Yes, the referee needs to go to the screen because I believe this is clearly and obviously wrong.'

"And that's what should have happened on this occasion. But primarily they're there to look at the footage and form an opinion. Is the on-field decision clearly wrong in their professional judgement? We would have preferred such an intervention in this case."

Webb also talked about the introduction of semiautomated offside technology (SAOT) in the Premier League next season, which will not be ready when the campaign kicks off on the weekend of Aug. 17 and will be delayed until after one of the autumn international breaks. A source has told ESPN that is because a new technology partner is being introduced to replace Hawk-Eye and further testing is required to make sure SAOT is robust across all stadiums.

While it is expected that SAOT will reduce the waiting time for VAR decisions by an average of 31 seconds, and provide a better visualisation of the final result, it may see more marginal offsides. SAOT is deemed to be more accurate so, unlike the existing system, there will be no tolerance level built in.

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Increased confidence in decision-making and reduced reliance on checking all situations is intended to reduce the likelihood of a potential offside being missed by the VAR -- removing possible associated human error.

"It will make us quicker in a lot of situations involving tight offsides," Webb said. "At the moment we're using software, dropping lines from players' body positions, which takes time to do in a diligent way. Semiautomated offsides will speed that process up.

"There are still going to be some situations when there's a lot of players in close proximity, where we'll have to go through the existing system, if you like. But in many, many cases it [SAOT] will speed up the offside process because we won't have to place those lines. It'll be done for us by the software. So we are looking forward to making use of that to speed the game up.

"Semiautomated suggests to us where the offside line is, but we still have to check the kick point -- make sure the computer selected the right one, make sure it's selected the right players, because we have to recognise who is the defender that we're interested in, make sure it's identified the right players. And it's just like a validation really, of what the computer is suggesting to us.

"There's no indication [from SAOT] to the on-field officials as yet as to whether or not a player's offside. That might be something that comes down the track, where they get some information in real-time, which will prevent the delaying of flags. But that's some way off.

"But we're keeping a really close eye on anything that makes us more accurate, more efficient, and that benefits the game in a way that we think the VAR has overall in the last four to five years."

Atlético Madrid have been ordered to partially close their south stand for two matches by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) after Athletic Club player Nico Williams suffered racist abuse in Saturday's LaLiga game.

Referee Juan Martinez Munuera stopped the match in the 36th minute as part of LaLiga's protocol against racism after he heard abuse directed at the 21-year-old Spain international, who was born in Pamplona to Ghanaian parents.

Atletico, who did not immediately respond when contacted by Reuters for comment, have also been fined 20,000 ($21,360). They have 10 days to appeal.

The RFEF said in a statement on Tuesday that the closed area in the stands must display a visible message condemning violent, racist, xenophobic and intolerant acts in football and supporting fair play.

A few minutes after he was abused, Williams scored and ran in front of the south stand tapping his arm in reference to his skin colour.

Champions League soccer is back for the semifinals! Europe's premier club competition returns with a high-stakes, heavyweight match on Tuesday, providing exciting storylines, top talent and drama.

Enjoy the play-by-play as Bayern Munich host perennial winners Real Madrid!