Kadia Zhou (9) | STAFF REPORTER
Auston Matthews is back in action for the Maple Leafs after missing six games with an upper-body injury. The undisclosed injury, which first kept him out in November, flared up again on December 20, forcing him to take another break.
Matthews was on ice during the morning skate before the Leafs’ game against the Bruins on January 4th, 2025, flanked by Matthew Knies and Mitch Marner. “It’s exciting,” Matthews had said. “It’s never fun watching, so I feel excited about being back in.”
The Leafs definitely felt his absence, going 3-3-0 while he was away. Despite the setback, Matthews has already proven he can come back harder than ever, scoring 12 points in 11 games after his November recovery. This time, the team plans to manage his minutes to make sure he stays healthy.
Coach Craig Berube summed up what having Matthews back means, “He drives the pace of play. The pace goes up for everybody.” Matthews has an ability to change the game, and his teammates know it too. John Tavares said, “It doesn’t get much better than having our captain back.”
The Leafs have Matthews back, and so they’ve got the boost they needed to go head to head with one of their biggest division rivals.
