Toronto Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews set to return Saturday vs. Boston Bruins

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews is set to return to the lineup on Saturday against the Boston Bruins.

Matthews missed the last two games with what appears to be a nagging injury for the forward. While he or the Leafs haven’t given any specifics as to what the injury is, it seems to be nothing major, but still needs to be monitored as the regular season progresses.

Another likely reason that Matthews missed the last couple games is due to the Leafs position in the standings. Even with their 26-10-7 record, the team is still nine points behind the Bruins for first, and with them being 16 points away from out of a playoff spot, the Leafs seem set to face the Tampa Bay Lightning for a second straight season in the first round, so they can afford to miss out on a few points to give Matthews some rest. It also wouldn’t be surprising if his return tonight is partly due to the game being against the Bruins, trying to see if they can gain any ground on Boston.

His offense was certainly missed in his two-game absence. The Leafs managed just three goals over the two games, and while they beat the Nashville Predators 2-1 to start it, they dropped their second game in a 4-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

It hasn’t exactly been the ideal follow-up to Matthews’ Hart Trophy winning season where he scored 60 goals, as he has just 20 on the season, and would be on pace for 40 in a full season. However, he’s still been productive overall, as he has 27 assists and 47 points, which is tied for 19th in the league. His underlying numbers also indicate he’s still having an excellent season, as he sits third in the league in 5v5 individual expected goals with 13.45, and is 12th in the league in goals above replacement with 12.3.