Auston Matthews returned to the ice for the Maple Leafs.
The Toronto Maple Leafs had been without Auston Matthews for an extended period entering Saturday. While they certainly wanted their captain back, Toronto held down the fort without him in the lineup. They won seven games without their captain in the lineup. And upon Matthews's return, they picked up another huge victory.
Matthews picked up two assists in a 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. Matthew Knies scored in his return at Amalie Arena in Tampa, while Chris Tanev and Mitch Marner had two points each. Toronto moved to 14-7-2 on the season while the Lightning fell to 12-9-2. After the game, Matthews was honest about how he felt on the ice.
“I felt fine, I think as the game went on, I felt a little bit better,” Matthews said, via NHL.com. “I still felt a little bit rusty, but I thought our line played pretty solid all around and simple for the most part. Obviously, it feels good to chip in on some goals there, especially early on. I just want to continue to go forward and get better each game.”
Auston Matthews helps Maple Leafs win in first game back
The Maple Leafs were strengthened by the return of Knies and Auston Matthews on Saturday. And it was shown when Knies connected on Toronto's first goal at 7:13 of the first period. Toronto went on to stake claim to a 4-0 lead from there.
However, the Lightning refused to go away quietly. Michael Eyssimont began a three-goal third period barrage for Tampa Bay midway through the third period. In the end, it was too little, too late. William Nylander scored on an empty net for his 15th goal of the year and to put the finishing touches on a big Maple Leafs win.
The Lightning have not lost four of their last six games. But they remain in third place in the Atlantic Division despite this loss. Tampa Bay remain home and have some time off. They retake the ice again on Thursday when they play host to the San Jose Sharks.
The Maple Leafs do not have the luxury of taking days off, however. Toronto returns home on Monday for a two-game home stand against the Chicago Blackhawks. Momentum is certainly on their side, though. The Maple Leafs have won 10 of their last 13 games, and are leading the Atlantic Division. Let's see if they can continue their winning ways against an Original Six rival on Monday.
