Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews to return vs. Bruins

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews told reporters that he will return from an upper-body injury in Saturday night's game against the visiting Boston Bruins.

"I think the last couple skates I've had, I've felt good. I've made progress throughout those and feeling confident day-by-day," Matthews said on Saturday morning. "It's exciting. Obviously, it's never fun watching so I'm excited to get back in."

Matthews initially missed nine games in November with an upper-body injury. The former Hart Trophy recipient as the NHL MVP returned Nov. 30 but aggravated the injury in a 6-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 20. He has missed the past six games.

Matthews, 27, said after practicing Wednesday he hoped to see more improvement later in the week but acknowledged he wasn't sure he'd fully heal, even with extended rest.

"It's tricky with these things sometimes," Matthews said. "It's a physical sport. It's a contact sport. Things happen out there sometimes that are out of your control. Just try to manage it as best as I can, and that we can, and you just go from there."

The Maple Leafs have struggled to replace the star's elite production. His 69 goals last season were the most by an NHL player since Mario Lemieux scored 69 goals during the 1995-96 campaign.

In 24 games this season, Matthews has 11 goals and 12 assists.

--Field Level Media