Red Wings at Maple Leafs
With their best player back in the lineup after missing a month due to injury, the Toronto Maple Leafs can go about the business of formally wrapping up a playoff spot as the regular season winds down. The Maple Leafs look to continue their late-season roll when they open a three-game homestand against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night.
Matthews scored a goal in his return as Toronto won for the fifth time in sixth games, snapping Nashville's 15-game point streak with an impressive 5-2 victory on Thursday night. "Nothing new. Back to his usual self," said Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly on the play of Matthews, who had been sidelined for 10 games because of a shoulder injury. Toronto can match a franchise single-season record of 45 wins by beating the woeful Red Wings, who were officially eliminated from playoff contention after Thursday's 1-0 loss to Washington. Detroit has lost 11 of its last 12 games overall (1-10-1) and six of the past seven meetings against the Maple Leafs.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, CBC (Toronto)
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (27-36-11): The season-long offensive rut shows no signs of letting up for Detroit, which has been limited to two goals or fewer eight times during the 12-game tailspin. "It's been like this too many times we haven't been able to score when we've had pretty good efforts. We obviously had a pretty good effort," coach Jeff Blashill said after watching his team outshoot the Capitals 39-26. Defenseman Mike Green will miss the remainder of the season and undergo surgery next month to repair damage to his cervical spine.
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (44-23-7): Matthews has collected 51 points in 54 games and moved within one goal of reaching 30 for the second time in as many seasons as Toronto handed league-best Nashville its first regulation defeat since Feb. 17. "It can't be easy, but he's so smooth out there and so smart so it doesn't take him long to get back in the rhythm of things and he did a lot of things he usually does," teammate James van Riemsdyk said. Van Riemsdyk is doing a lot of good things in his own right with eight goals in the past five games.
OVERTIME
1. Maple Leafs F Mitch Marner collected two assists Thursday to extend his point streak to seven games.
2. Detroit is 0-for-13 on the power play in the last four games
3. Toronto has scored at least one goal with the man advantage in seven consecutive games.