The Toronto Maple Leafs play their second game of a three-game homestand on Wednesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks at Scotiabank Arena, and could have an enormous boost to the lineup in the form of the return of superstar Auston Matthews. Matthews has missed the last three weeks of the season after suffering a sprained knee in warmups on Jan. 25. Ahead of the out-of-conference clash, Leafs fans will surely be wondering: Is Auston Matthews playing tonight vs. the Blackhawks?

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Auston Matthews injury status vs. Blackhawks

Auston Matthews will return to the Toronto Maple Leafs' lineup when they welcome Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks to Scotiabank Arena, head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed on Wednesday morning.

The 25-year-old centre won last season's Hart Trophy as NHL MVP and scored 60 times, the league's first 60-goal game in a decade. After trying to play through the injury on Jan. 25, Matthews was shut down by Toronto's medical staff post-game.

The Leafs anticipated the knee sprain would keep Matthews out of the starting lineup for three weeks, with Tuesday marking exactly 21 days since the injury. He missed a total of only five games due to the All-Star break; the team went 2-3-0 in his absence.

Matthews has scored 25 goals and 53 points in 47 games this season, and will be a massive addition to the Toronto Maple Leafs' top-six.

It's the second game of a three-game homestand for Toronto; they lost a disappointing 4-3 contest to the last-place Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night.

The Leafs are still second place in the NHL's competitive Atlantic Division, two points up on the Tampa Bay Lightning and 11 back of the NHL-leading Boston Bruins.

Auston Matthews skated between William Nylander and Michael Bunting at practice, and all signs point to his return to the Leafs lineup on Wednesday. It's great news for the Leafs fans, and in the case of is Auston Matthews playing tonight vs. the Blackhawks, the answer is almost certainly yes.