"The Toronto Maple Leafs tough two-game road trip will continue in Nashville Thursday night as they take on the NHL leading Predators. The team will have reinforcements as they look to rebound from last night's loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Auston Matthews just confirmed with reporters that he will return to the lineup versus the Predators. This will be his first game action since February 22. He took regular line rushes on the top line in between Zach Hyman and William Nylander.
Defenseman Nikita Zaitsev also looks like he is ready to return as he skated alongside Jake Gardiner. Here is how the team lined up this morning:
Zach Hyman Auston Matthews William Nylander
Patrick Marleau Nazem Kadri Mitch Marner
James van Riemsdyj Tyler Bozak Connor Brown
Andreas Johnsson Tomas Plekanec Kaspiri Kapanen
Morgan Rielly Ron Hainsey
Jake Gardiner Nikita Zaitsev
Travis Dermott Roman Polak
Connor Carrick, Josh Leivo, Matt Martin and Dominic Moore appear to be healthy scratches. Leo Komarova did not skate today. "
