Auston Matthews continues to deal with a lingering upper-body injury. Would it be best for the team and player to rest in February during the 4 Nations Face-Off? Auston Matthews' return to the Toronto Maple Leafs isn't imminent. The 27-year-old forward, who's missed the last three games after re-aggravating an upper-body injury against the Buffalo on Dec. 20, was on the ice for about 30 minutes on Saturday morning. It's not the first time Matthews has skated, however, it's the first time media has seen him on the ice since Toronto's 6-3 win over the Sabres, in which he scored a goal in 19:18 of ice time. The Maple Leafs' captain took a cross-check from Sabres defenseman Dennis Gilbert in the game and appeared to be in pain afterward. He finished the game but hasn't played since. Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube confirmed on Friday that Matthews would be out of the lineup on Saturday against the Washington Capitals. Berube added on Saturday morning that Matthews has been skating, but that a timeline for a return is still too early. "He's been on the ice the last couple of days, so making real good progress, which is great and he's feeling a lot better," Berube said. The forward initially picked up the upper-body injury during training camp but was able to play through it. However, in early November, Matthews began missing games due to the ailment. He was absent from Toronto's lineup for almost the whole month of November. Matthews flew to Munich, Germany, to receive treatment for the injury in mid-November and returned to the lineup on Nov. 30. Since then, he's registered six goals and six assists for 12 points in 11 games. The forward has 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points in 24 games this season. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.
