The Toronto Maple Leafs are getting some great news. Leafs star Auston Matthews is expected to return to the lineup Saturday after battling an injury, per The Athletic. Matthews has missed six games in a row.
“The last couple skates I've had have felt good,” Matthews said.
The Maple Leafs center has missed 15 games already this season, which has left fans worried. Matthews is a key cog in the club's offense, which has been one of the best in hockey in recent years. This season, Matthews has 23 points in 24 games. That includes 11 goals for the former Hart Trophy winner.
“It’s exciting,” Matthews added. “It’s never fun watching.”
Toronto plays the Boston Bruins on Saturday night.
Maple Leafs are certainly wanting Matthews in the lineup

The Maple Leafs are looking once again to make the Eastern Conference playoffs, and so far that goal is within reach. Toronto is first in the Atlantic Division this season. The club has 50 points and won six of its last 10 games.
Despite the success, Toronto has had some struggles. The Leafs went through a skid in December that included four losses in five games. Toronto does have two wins in a row.
The team is doing well overall without Matthews, but there's no doubt they want to have the center back. Matthews brings so much leadership and experience to the club. He's appeared in close to 600 NHL games, and has posted more than 670 total points. His career plus-minus is +138.
“He’s the type of guy you want on the ice as much as you can,” Leafs coach Craig Berube said. “But at the same time, my job is to manage that. There’s been communication with him and how he’s feeling, so we’ll try to limit (aggravating the injury) as best we can.”
There's a lot of mystery around Matthews' injury, as it has gone undisclosed. The Maple Leafs star acknowledged though he's been dealing with pain. He hopes he can move past his ailments this season.
“I don’t know. I hope so,” Matthews added. “That’s obviously the goal. It’s tricky with these things sometimes. It’s a physical sport, it’s a contact sport, so things happen out there sometimes that are out of your control. So I’m just trying to manage it as best as I can, and we can, and you just go from there.”
The Maple Leafs and Bruins play at 7:00 ET on Saturday night. Toronto enters the game with a 24-13-2 record.