EDMONTON — Auston Matthews and Frederik Andersen will make their return to the lineup when the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.
Matthews missed the first two games of the three-game set in Edmonton with a lingering wrist injury. The NHL’s leading goal-scorer will slot back into playing up the middle on the team’s first line alongside Joe Thornton and Mitch Marner.
“I just got to make sure that, you know, moving my legs out there and keeping my shifts short and just playing smart,” Matthews said following practice on Tuesday.
Matthews has 18 goals and 13 assists in 20 games this season. He has missed three games this season, all of them against the Oilers.
Frederik Andersen will also make his return to the lineup.
Toronto’s starting goaltender has missed the last four games with a lower-body injury.
Andersen is 14-1-2 all-time against the Oilers,
The addition of both Matthews and Andersen comes when the team has cruised against their competition. Jack Campbell picked up a 30-save shutout in a 4-0 win against the Oilers. Unavailable with a lower-body injury for the next start, Michael Hutchinson started in his place and made 31 saves in a 3-0 win against Edmonton.
Campbell could be ready to return and serve as Andersen’s backup against the Oilers, according to Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe,.
“Jack is going to skate and we’ll make a determination on his status from there,” Keefe said. Whether Hutchinson is the backup will be based on upon that.”
Campbell joined his teammates on the ice late in the session.
Andersen skated off first. Followed by Hutchinson, then Campbell.
Based on the order, it doesn’t seem like Campbell will dress tonight. But he did look good in the net as seen in the video below.
Campbell taking shots during the morning skate
William Nylander will play despite missing Tuesday’s practice. He skated briefly during the morning skate before heading off as the session began.
Leafs participants at morning skate in no particular order:
Andersen, Hutchinson, Woll, Campbell (later in the session), Nylander (very brief), Spezza, Lehtonen, Barabanov, Sabourin, Thornton, Petan, Liljegren, Agostino.