The Toronto Maple Leafs look to be getting some much-needed reinforcements for Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Auston Matthews told reporters after practice Friday that he plans to return to the lineup after a lengthy absence.
Matthews suffered an upper-body injury on Nov. 3 against the Minnesota Wild, which forced him to miss nine consecutive games.
Toronto has withstood the absence of its captain, going 7-2 without Matthews, but it struggled offensively in a 4-1 loss against the Panthers on Wednesday.
Head coach Craig Berube also seemed optimistic that Matthew Knies would be able to return, and he looked good in practice.
Knies was skating on a line with Matthews and William Nylander. Knies has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury suffered after a hit by Vegas Golden Knights defenceman Zach Whitecloud.
The return of Matthews and Knies couldn’t have come at a better time for the Leafs who have been hit hard by injuries upfront.
Bobby McMann did not practice with the team in Tampa on Friday after leaving the game against Florida with a lower-body injury. Berube told reporters that McMann is day-to-day and will miss a couple games.
The Maple Leafs have also been without Max Domi, David Kampf, Max Pacioretty, and Calle Jarnkrok this season.
