The Toronto Maple Leafs host the Winnipeg Jets at Scotiabank arena on Thursday.

Auston Matthews returns to the Leafs lineup after missing a game with a lower-body injury after blocking a shot against the Red Wings on Sunday.

“Pretty worrisome, you never know what it (the injury) could be,” Matthews said this morning. “It caught me in a difficult spot and was pretty swollen for a few days. I just tried to do what I could to reduce (the swelling) and fit my foot in skate and get going again.”

“It felt good to skate yesterday and I feel every day I have made really good progress. It’s not like we have an abundance of days to let things settle.”

The injury hit Matthews at a time he may have been playing his best hockey of the season. The Leafs captain had a goal and two assists in the two games before the injury.

“I really liked the way he’s been playing lately,” coach Craig Berube said. “He’s driving play and getting good opportunities and playing with a lot of pace and determination.”

“He’s taking pucks to the middle of the ice more and attacking people 1-on-1 and winning all those battles,” the coach said. “His attack mentality around the net. It looks like he is ripping the pucks a little bit quicker. A bit more (power) on his shot.”

Matthews returns to the Leafs coming off a 4-0 win over the Devils on Thursday. It may have been the club’s most complete game of the season.

“The last game before the break and then coming out of the break. Collecting points in all those games (7 out of 8) is huge,” said Matthews. “So, you want to keep it going.”

Reenergized Leafs ready to seize opportunity in wide-open Atlantic The Maple Leafs are eager to start the new year on the right foot and see an opportunity to climb in an Atlantic division that is jam-packed at the moment.

Berube cautioned his team to keep the same mind set they showed against the Devils on Tuesday.

“You can’t take your foot off the gas,” Berube said this morning. “Those guys that stepped it up like we needed them to, they got to keep stepping it up. It’s about the team and the team game. We need every guy to be at his best within the team game.”

“With Auston back, it doesn’t mean we can relax. We’ve got to go out there and dictate the pace of the game tonight and initiate in all areas of the game tonight.”

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Matthews was asked if he would stop blocking shots because of the scare he suffered against the Red Wings.

“It’s kind of instincts. Most of the shots I’m blocking are not super hard shots that come from the point,” Matthews said. “Sometimes you have to lay your body on the line, and I think that is something that is just part of the game.”

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William Nylander will miss a third straight game with a lower-body injury.

Nylander was on the ice testing things out before the main group headed out for morning skate.

“I would say he’s doubtful to practice with us tomorrow,” cautioned Berube. “You never know if he comes in tomorrow and feels like he wants to get on the ice with the team, hopefully that’s true. We’ll have to see.”

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The Maple Leafs power-play has come alive in recent games going 4-8 in the last three games.

“A lot of it can be mindset, “ Matthews said. “You kind of get different looks with different guys and something just starts to click. The puck starts to go and a lot of it is confidence, a lot of it is a belief every night.”

“I’ve said it before just how big the power-play is in general. We scored two power-play goals against New Jersey and that’s a big difference in the game. Another positive is that both units are firing really well and producing and that’s what you need out of the power-play.”

“Maybe 10 games ago we were passing the puck on the outside too much,” Nicolas Roy said. He’s become a key member of the club’s second PP unit. “Now we try to attack, create chaos and from there you have better chances.”

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The Leafs better play as of late comes at an important time for the club, still on the outside of the playoff picture.

“The division is tight; the whole league is tight,” Matthews said. “No matter where you are sitting you see there are opportunities, but you have to make the most of it. “

“We want to impose our game a little more,” said Roy. “You look back when we had a tougher stretch, we let the other team come at us. Now we want to do the reverse, go at the other team and be hard on the forecheck. A little desperation as well. You look at the standings it is close, and every game matters.”

“It gives you an extra motivation,” Roy added. “It’s a long season and some games you don’t feel it as much as others. Then you look at the standings, and you realize you need it tonight.”

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The U.S. Olympic hockey roster will be unveiled on Friday. Auston Matthews was one of the first six names announced in the summer along with forwards Jack Eichel, Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, and defencemen Quinn Hughes and Charlie McAvoy.

‘It’s definitely in the back of your head’: Olympics getting closer to reality for Matthews The Olympics is getting closer to becmoing a reality for Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews and while he is trying to focus on Toronto’s play, it’s definitely in the back of his mind. Matthews spoke about what he learned from Connor Hellebuyck and Kyle Connor from their time at 4 Nations.

“Once the new year flips you realize you’re 5-6 weeks away so definitely very exciting,” said Matthews. “We got a lot of work to do here but it is definitely in the back of your head that the opportunity is kind of looming in a month and a half and how exciting it is.”

Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck and forward Kyle Connor are expected to join Matthews in Milan.

“I played with (Hellebuyck) at the World Cup and I played world juniors with Kyle,” said Matthews. “I’ve known them a little bit of time. Both great people. Hellebuyck is one of the best goalies in the world. Kyle is elite as well, a difficult player to handle one-on-one. He can make you pay on power-play and 5 on 5.”

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Maple Leafs line combinations during morning skate

F

Knies-Matthews-Domi

Maccelli-Tavares-McMann

Cowan-Roy-Robertson

Lorentz-Laughton-Jarnkrok

Extra: Quillan

D

Rielly-Myers

McCabe-Ekman-Larsson

Benoit-Stecher

Extra: Carlo and Benning

G

Woll in starters goal

Hildeby

PP units in morning skate

PP1

Rielly

Maccelli, Knies, Matthews

Tavares

PP2

Ekman-Larsson

Domi, McMann, Robertson

Roy

The Jets did not hold a morning skate.