Craig Berube can’t wait to put his captain back on the bridge Thursday night against Winnipeg.
Auston Matthews was finally rounding into form just before having to skip Tuesday’s game against New Jersey after a lower body shot block in Detroit. In his two gmes prior, he’d totaled four points, a good sign for his coach who has stayed patient with Mathews’ first half, slowed by injuries and sub-par hockey. Matthews had 23 points in 31 games before Christmas.
“I really like the way he’s playing lately, driving the play,” Berube said after the morning skate. “He’s getting a lot of opportunities and playing with pace and determination.
“A week ago I started noticing he’s taking pucks in the middle of the ice more and attacking, taking people 1-on-1 more, winning those battles and his attack mentality around the net.”
That was disrupted when he stopped a rocket in Motown and wasn’t as mobile the rest of the evening. Yet he nearly won the back-to-back match in overtime for the weekend points sweep.
“It was worrisome at the time, because you never know (the severity),”’Matthews said. “It caught me in a difficult (unpadded) spot and it was pretty swollen for a few days. I just did what I could to get my foot in my skate.
“But we’re playing almost every day (in January), so it’s one of those things I just have to manage.”
The projection is Matthews centres Matthew Knies and Max Domi on Thursday after Berube tried Bobby McMann on his left wing among other experiments. The ongoing absence of winger William Nylander (three games and counting with a lower body mishap of his own) continues to mess with Berube’s lines. Call-up Jacob Quillan sits for Matthews.
Leafs still short-handed
The Leafs are also without forward Dakota Joshua (kidney) defenceman Chris Tanev (groin) for the next few weeks, though on Thursday they persevered without star offensive power for a 4-0 win. With the standings in the East still incredibly tight, four points out of the final wildcard spot, Toronto will try and hand the Jets their eighth straight loss.
It’s a new month, a new year, with the NHL schedule about to reach the midway mark. In the big picture, Toronto (18-15-6) remains less than 10 points out of first in their division but with almost the whole field to pass.
“The energy in here has been great,” Matthews insisted. “Especially after the (Christmas) break when you get a few days off to re-charge. There is opportunity (to move up in the East) but you have to make the most of it, collect points, especially in your division.”
Matthews is also resuming pursuit of Mats Sundin’s franchise goal record. He was four shy of that 420 mark when he missed the Jersey game, but he and Berube are wary of taking the Jets’ top line of Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Gabe Vilardi too lightly during their team slump. A rested Eric Comrie likely gets the start ahead of an over-taxed Connor Hellebuyck.
Joseph Woll starts in net for the Leafs as Berube moves away from a rotation with Dennis Hildeby, based on Woll’s shutout of the Devils and his .923 save percentage.
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