Maple Leafs' captain Auston Matthews returns after missing 9 games
Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) gets ahead of Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Brandon Hagel (38) and center Anthony Cirelli (71) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. Credit: AP/Chris O'Meara
TAMPA, Fla. — Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews returned to the lineup Saturday night after missing nine games due to an upper-body injury.
Matthews was activated off injured reserve prior to the Maple Leafs game against the Tampa Bay Lightning and finished with a pair of assists. Matthews last played on Nov. 3 against Minnesota.
“I felt fine, I think as the game went on I felt a little bit better,” Matthews said. “I still felt a little bit rusty, but I thought our line played pretty solid all around and simple for the most part.’’
In his career, Matthews now has 13 goals and six assists in 15 games when returning to the lineup. Toronto has a record of 9-3-3 in those 15 games.
“Obviously, it feels good to chip in on some goals there, especially early on,’’ he said. “I just want to continue to go forward and get better each game.”
In addition to his two assists, Matthews won 16 of 24 faceoffs, finished as a plus-2 with two shots on goal and registered two takeaways.
“I thought he was strong on pucks and moved well out there,” Toronto coach Craig Berube said. “He did a lot of good things.”
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser (90) and Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) battle for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. Credit: AP/Chris O'Meara
Toronto had a record of 7-2 without Matthews.
Prior to the injury, Matthews had five goals and six assists in 13 games. Though he was listed as day-to-day by the team throughout the process, it was revealed that he recently spent time in Germany working with a specialist to try to prevent the injury from recurring once he was back on the ice.
Matthews has already been named to the Team USA roster for the Four Nations Faceoff, which will be held in February.
