And for them, it’s good news: The Leafs captain said he’s in for Saturday’s game against the Boston Bruins.
Indications were good that the captain would return after he took regular line rushes and lined up on the first power-play unit on Saturday morning.
Matthews aggravated an upper-body injury against the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 20. Since then, he has missed six games. He was placed on long-term injured reserve on Tuesday, retroactively to the game against the Sabres.
The current stretch is the second significant layoff of the season for the 27-year-old, who also missed nine consecutive games in November.
Matthews, who scored 69 goals to win the Rocket Richard Trophy last season, has 11 goals and 12 assists in 24 games this season. Toronto is 3-3 in this stretch without Matthews, including Thursday’s 2-1 victory over the Islanders.
Watch Saturday’s Leafs-Bruins game on Hockey Night in Canada starting at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on Sportsnet or Sportsnet+.
— with files from the Canadian Press
