Will a Matthews return be an early gift for Toronto?
Will the Leafs get Auston Matthews back asa nearly Christmas present?
Toronto’s favourite guessing game of the past two weeks — what’s wrong with the leading scorer and when will he return — should be cleared up to an extent Friday when the Leafs resume practice. Any thought of playing Matthews on Saturday in New York against the Rangers should be governed on him getting through a full workout, which has yet to happen since he went out off the lineup Dec. 9.
After that accidental collision with teammate Morgan Rielly in Pittsburgh, Matthews was out of sight for days, eventually resumed skating on his own and then with the Leafs’ scratches the past few days. But the team hasn’t had a proper practice in a few days, thus all the attention paid to what happens Friday.
But having waited this long to have him get through an “upper body” injury, the club would be even more secure in his recovery by leaving him out of the game against the Rangers and taking the extra four days afforded by the NHL Christmas break. That would bring Matthews back in time to travel and face his hometown team, the Arizona Coyotes, on Dec. 28.
Firing line
Nazem Kadri might stick cotton in his ears the next time the Leafs go to Columbus.
Either that or hope goalies Fred erik Andersen or Curtis McElhinny blank the Blue Jackets. The booming cannon, that sounds after every Columbus goal, went off four times on Wednesday and when you forget it’s coming, the sound can scare you out of your hockey pants.
“It is absolutely atrocious,” said Kadri after Wednesday’s game at Nationwide Arena.
“I don’t know how people (endure) it. Some off them have seats right beside it. If it’s surprising to my ears on the ice, I can imagine what those first couple of rows must feel like.”
The current cannon was introduced in 2007, built to U.S. Civil War specifications as the team name has Union Army roots and Ken Hitchcock, coach at the time, was a Civil War buff.
“It’s unique, it’s cool and it’s loud,” Kadri laughed. “That’s the goal coming in here (shut out the home team) — I don’t want to hear that cannon once. But they did a good job finding some spots against us today.”
Back to basics
Toronto’s loss on Wednesday, marking the third time it’s dropped the second half of a backto-back, has coach Mike Babcock convinced his team still has some maturing to do.
“It’s interesting. I was reading something where (Josh) Bailey from the Islanders was talking about being a good pro and how you learn to bring it every day. We’re not at that stage, obviously. We’ve got to keep working at it so we can compete at a high level.
“I’m not trying to take anything away from (Columbus) I thought their team worked hard tonight, but I thought we could be better.”