The good news for the Toronto Maple Leafs is that in three games without superstar forward Auston Matthews, the team has gone 3-0-0. Matthews, who has been held out with an upper-body injury, returned to Leafs practice Wednesday (more good news) where he took his regular spot on the top line with William Nylander and Zach Hyman.
The less-good news? Matthews and head coach Mike Babcock were non-committal on a Thursday return against the New Jersey Devils, though Matthews' health is definitely trending upward, and game action appears to be right around the corner.
"I don't know if I'm playing tomorrow," Matthews said. "We'll talk about it today and see how I'm feeling, and see how I feel tomorrow. I'm just kind of taking it day-by-day.
The Maple Leafs juggled their lines in Matthews' absence, but went with the status quo during the Wednesday practice, an indication they could go in that direction if Matthews is healthy enough to play on Thursday.
"It was good to have [Matthews] on the ice today. I don't know if he's playing tomorrow to be honest with you," said head coach Mike Babcock. "We'll see tomorrow morning at the skate, how he handled it, and the medical guys will tell me what's going on there."
Matthews had been skating on his own the past few days, but Wednesday marked his first involvement in team activities since he played in his last game, a 4-3 shootout victory against the Vegas Golden Knights Nov. 6, in which Matthews recorded an assist and three shots on goal.
"It's early in the year, too, and you don't want for it to not fully recover, and then you tweak it again and you're back to square one," Matthews said. "We've kind of been pretty cautious, but like I said, I've been feeling better day-by-day and that's all that you can ask for."
NHL Power Rankings: Toronto climbs to third despite missing Matthews
Without its best player, Toronto has managed three wins in as many games, including a home-and-home sweep against its Atlantic Division rival Boston Bruins. The high-powered Maple Leafs offense — sans its biggest weapon — has produced 11 goals over that three-game stretch, while Toronto has conceded five goals, a marked improvement for a team that has struggled to keep the puck out of its own net.
"If it was a playoff series you have to find a way to play, but it's early on in the season and again it's something you don't want to get worse," Matthews said.
Matthews said the Wednesday practice was mostly about getting back up to game speed, though Babcock said he wasn't too concerned about the sophomore center missing a beat.
"I saw today he was fine, but he wasn't like he normally is," Babcock said. "Just power, and explosiveness and the fitness, it's amazing. Anybody knows you get too many days off in hockey and it takes you a while to get it back. But he's a good player, and he's determined, so I don't think there will be any issues."