"The Toronto Maple Leafs have been struggling lately with four losses in a row. While some fans have jokingly attached the losing streak to the arrival or Tomas Plekanec from the Montreal Canadiens, struggling defense and the lack of Auston Matthews is more likely the reason. Since Matthews has been gone, the Leafs are 1-4 and they haven't exactly been playing inspired hockey. While Matthews might not be able to improve the team's defensive struggles, he would be welcome back to the lineup with open arms. The team got one step closer to that possible return as Matthews skated with his teammates for the first time since the injury. The 20 year old forward had been skating by himself lately but finally made the jump to skating with his teammates with a non contact jersey. We'll have to wait for a more detailed update as Matthews won't be available to media until he participates in a full practice.