Auston Matthews returned to practice and nearly took part in a full session. The question is how much longer? ELMONT, N.Y. — The Toronto Maple Leafs will start Joseph Woll in net when the club visits the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Thursday. Woll did not participate in the club’s optional morning skate ahead of the game, which was his usual routine when he did not start while practicing the day before. Dennis Hildeby was the lone goalie participant. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0tGD7uMVZI[/embed] Woll made 30 saves on 31 shots in Toronto’s 3-1 win against the Islanders at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday. With Anthony Stolarz out since Dec. 12 following a knee procedure, the club is expected to give Woll an extended run here to begin 2025. Toronto also only has one set of back-to-back games in January. 'It's a nice stretch for us now but Hildeby has played well for us too, he's played well in the minors so we have a lot of trust in him," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said. "We have an opportunity to run with Woll a little bit here more now with the stretch." Ilya Sorokin is expected to start in goal for the Islanders, marking a rematch of Tuesday's goaltending duel. MATTHEWS JOINS MAPLE LEAFS FOR NEW YORK TRIP Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExODM2NDk2Njk1NTM1MTM5/img_9272.jpg] Although he will not suit up against the Islanders, it was notable to see Auston Matthews join several skaters for the club's optional skate. There is no timetable on when the Maple Leafs captain will return but the star center was worked hard on the ice and stayed along with scratches Pontus Holmberg, Conor Timmins and Marshall Rifai. With the Maple Leafs returning home quickly after the one-game road stop, it would have been easy for Matthews to stay back and do some extra work at home. It's a positive sign that he stayed out for the whole session working on his conditioning. [gallery ids="465,466,467,468,469"] Holmberg is feeling better after missing last game with an illness but will not play against the Islanders. The Leafs lines Toronto ran at practice on Wednesday is their expected lineup in their final regular season matchup against the Islanders. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNjM5NDEwNTc4NDM0MDI0/googlenews.svg] Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwytvfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
