The Toronto Maple Leafs have struggled this year. They recently broke a five-game losing skid against the St. Louis Blues, but have since lost two more in a row. Now the Leafs will be getting some key players back, including Auston Matthews, on Wednesday night.
According to Mark Masters of TSN, Matthews, Nicolas Roy, and Matthew Knies will all return from injury to face the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“Today's a new day … It's a great opportunity for us to find our way through adversity,” Matthews is quoted as saying about the return, according to Masters.
The star center was injured on a hit from Nikita Zadorov on November 11 in a game against the Boston Bruins. The Leafs lost that game 5-3, and have gone 1-2-2 in the five games without Matthews in the lineup.
“It's been a tough couple weeks, but I think over the last four, five days or so, skating, practising, started to feel really good day after day. Stacked some positive momentum and feel like I'm ready to go,” Matthews told Masters after practice.
Before going down with the injury, the center had been a solid contributor for the club. In 17 games, Matthews has found the back of the net nine times while dishing out five helpers. That places him third on the team in goals and sixth in overall points.
He is not the only addition to the lineup in this game. Knies last played on November 15 against the Chicago Blackhawks, a 3-2 loss for the Leafs. He is third on the team in points with 22, even while missing three games.
Roy will join the other two in returning for this contest. His last game was also against Chicago. He is more of a depth piece compared to the other two players, having just four points on the season. But his return will be welcome, nonetheless.
The Maple Leafs are 9-10-3 on the campaign, which places them last in the Atlantic Division through 22 games. They hope to break a two-game skid when puck drops just past 7:00 p.m. ET in Columbus.
