Matthews has been out of action since Nov. 8 against the Boston Bruins following a hit from defenseman Nikita Zadorov
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Auston Matthews joins Matthew Knies and Nicolas Roy as the Toronto Maple Leafs get a massive boost of health from three forwards returning to action after a layoff due to injury.
Matthews has been out of action since Nov. 8 when he left a game against the Boston Bruins following a hit from defenseman Nikita Zadorov.
Matthews has five goals and nine assists in 17 games this season.
Matthews confirmed his return to the lineup tonight where he spoke about his recovery process from a lower-body injury, his thoughts on the hit. He also spoke about the team's current struggles, having dropped seven of their last eight games, and if his shot will be affected by the injury he sustained.
Thoughts on getting back into the lineup?
"Yeah, it's exciting. I think this is a great opportunity for us here on the road, six games or so to really come together as a group and find our game, find our rhythm starting tonight. A team that's been really good against us. They're good at home. They've been playing some good hockey. Just want to come out and play the right way. You don't need to do anything too special. Just go out there and play hard and compete and communicate and just take get one shift at a time, but definitely excited to get back in there."
How do you feel physically?
"Good. Yeah, really good. It's been a tough couple weeks, but I think over the last four or five days or so, skating, practicing, it started to feel really good day after day. So, stack some positive momentum there going into it, and I feel like I'm ready to go tonight."
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Always tough to miss time, but with the team going through the struggles here, what's this been like having a watch?
"I mean, it's never easy regardless. Today's a new day. It's a great opportunity for us. I think we're excited to be on the road, be out here together for an extended period of time, and it's a great opportunity for us to find our way through adversity."
Is the injury something you're going to have to manage or are you done with it?
"I don't think so. I mean, I think it's just kind of one of those things that needs time to heal and especially over the next couple days or so, I'm sure we'll just continue to feel better. But, yeah, I feel fairly solid and ready to play."
What's the mindset of this group, just given that you're going to get you and Matthew back and knowing that you've got to rally? You mentioned the road trip. Health is one thing. Just the overall mindset of your group right now?
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You feel like your back's kind of against the wall and things haven't really gone the way we wanted them to, especially as a late. It's just a great opportunity for us to kind of rally together and fight through that adversity. It doesn't have to be anything special or pretty. It's just one line after another, every guy taking care individually of their job and just going out there working hard and competing. It just starts with one game, and that's it, and that's the main focus.
What was your view of the Zadorov hit that kind of sparked the injury?
*long pause and smile* I mean, I'm three feet away from the boards, and he hits me in the numbers, but I know his game, and he likes to play hard. You respect that, but at the same time, maybe I could have put myself in a better position, knowing that he's out there to put myself away from getting hit like that. In the end, it's hockey, and you go through it, and it's all good. It's a couple of weeks ago, and you just kind of move past it and do what you can to get back. I'm feeling good and excited to get back in the lineup.
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Why do you think the team has struggled to kind of find its rhythm early in this season?
"I don't know. I mean, there could be a number of different factors, and you never want to use excuses like just the health of our team overall and just the guys that we've had out for extended periods of time because it's kind of that next-man-up mentality and coming in and stepping in, and you get guys that have more opportunity for roles. I think in the end it's just been the consistency of our game, I think we've talked about it a lot throughout the first 20-plus games, but there's stretches where we have really good moments throughout games and there's stretches where we really fail to be connected throughout the whole ice and it really shows. And so I think that's just the main focus of going out there and taking care of your line, taking care of your job, competing. It doesn't have to be a special play every single shift. It's just winning your shift and going from there and rolling over all four lines and being able to do that and compete over a full 60 minutes. I think that's just what we're looking for. So, you know, for me it's always easy when you're watching to kind of see how, you know, the play and everything unfolds. But, you know, from before I got injured and that was kind of the messaging and kind of what felt like we were lacking was just that consistency. And, I mean, it's hard. It's never going to be perfect. You're never going to play a full 60 minutes where, you know, you've got the puck in their end. And you're possessing it the whole time. There's going to be momentum swings, but it's just trying to get it back on your side as quickly as possible. So I think that's something that we can do better at."
How does your shot feel? Did you feel any difficulty getting your shot off?
"No. I think early on it was a little bit tough, but I think, like I said, over the last four or five days last week, everything, I think the strength and everything just has come back, and every day has been a positive day, a better day than the day before. So it's been good."
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