The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently without Auston Matthews and while they were able to strong-arm the New Jersey Devils into defeat by the way of a 4-0 shutout win in their first game without the captain, that can't happen every game. So, when will Matthews be back?
At practice on Wednesday, Leafs head coach Craig Berube provided a brief update for when to expect Matthews potentially back in the lineup.
"He had a good day today, so we will go into tomorrow and see how he feels in the morning," Berube said via Maple Leafs Hot Stove. "He’ll probably go on the ice, and we’ll go from there. It’d be huge (to get him back tomorrow). It was a good day for him, I know that. Hopefully, he is in there tomorrow, and we’ll get him back."
Matthews was seen on the ice for Wednesday's optional practice and was doing some stickhandling work but not a whole lot more as he steps closer to returning.
Auston Matthews on the ice for Wednesday’s optional practice after missing Tuesday’s game vs. New Jersey pic.twitter.com/i0eAmmw2dJ
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The Leafs are hosting the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night, so it's not like they are going to have a lengthy break to hopefully have Matthews back before then. But it is good to hear from the head coach that he hopes that the captain is available for the game and it will be just a one-game absence that the team had to deal with.
While Matthews is certainly nowhere close to what he is capable of doing -- with just 15 goals and 27 points in 33 games this season -- but there is no denying that the Leafs are a much better team with him in the lineup compared to without. That might be the most obvious statement ever written about the Toronto Maple Leafs.
We'll have to see if Matthews can face off against the Jets in what should be a highly anticipated game after the Leafs were able to deliver the beatdown they did against the Devils earlier this week.