NHL: Anaheim Ducks at Toronto Maple Leafs – Image Source: Imagn

Auston Matthews is back. The Toronto Maple Leafs captain returns to action Saturday night when they take on the Boston Bruins. Matthews missed the last six games due to a re-aggravation of a previous upper-body injury. The original injury sidelined him for nine games, combining for a total of 15 games on the shelf.

The Leafs’ superstar shared how he’s felt throughout the recovery process in his media availability after the morning skate.

Maple Leafs writer Nick Barden shared on X what Matthews had to say:

“I mean, the last couple of skates, I’ve felt good. So I’ve just been having positive progress throughout those and feeling confident day by day.”

He also expressed his displeasure with having to sit out games:

“It’s no fun watching.”

It certainly has not been an ideal 2024-25 campaign for the 27-year-old. Matthews has managed to produce 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) in the 24 games he’s been able to play this season. Even in the games Matthews has appeared in, he’s looked slow because of the ailment at times.

He is at a 0.458 goals-per-game rate, the lowest goal-scoring clip of his career to date. Coming off a magical 69-goal 2023-24 season, injuries have plagued the first half of his 2024-25.

Auston Matthews returns for a weekend set of back-to-back games

Auston Matthews’ return to action has him jumping straight into a back-to-back set of games. The Maple Leafs host the Boston Bruins tonight and then follow it up with another home game against the Philadephia Flyers on Sunday night.

Matthews was also asked about the following matchup on Sunday. He confirmed that he’ll be available for both games.

It will be a good test for the Leafs captain to see how he feels physically after playing two games in two days.

Auston Matthews’ return to the Maple Leafs lineup comes on Hockey Night in Canada in a rivalry game against the Boston Bruins at Scotiabank Arena. The puck drops at 7 p.m. EST.