Leafs unveil new lines as Matthews returns to lineup
Auston Matthews is finally returning for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
For the first time in nearly a month, Toronto’s captain is expected to be in the lineup tomorrow when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Matthews has five goals and six assists in 13 games this season, but has been out since early November with a mysterious injury.
“With conditioning, timing, and getting back into a competitive atmosphere where everything is super reactive, it’s important to get as much repetition in that setting as possible to feel as game-ready as you can,” Matthews said earlier in the week regarding getting up to game speed.
Toronto Maple Leafs lines, November 29
Per TSN’s Mark Masters, here’s what Toronto’s lines looked like in practice today:
- Matthew Knies – Auston Matthews – William Nylander
- Pontus Holmberg – John Tavares – Mitch Marner
- Nick Robertson – Fraser Minten – Steven Lorentz
- Alex Steeves – Connor Dewar – Nikita Grebenkin
- Extras: Alex Nylander, Ryan Reaves
And here’s how the defencemen lined up:
- Jake McCabe – Chris Tanev
- Morgan Rielly – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
- Simon Benoit – Connor Timmins
- Philippe Myers, Jani Hakanpää
Anthony Stolarz is the expected starter for tomorrow, while Joseph Woll will be his backup.
Despite missing Matthews, the Leafs have hardly skipped a beat in recent weeks. They’ve gone 7-2-0 in his absence, and currently sit atop the Atlantic Division standings.
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