Auston Matthews Expects to Return for Maple Leafs vs. Lightning After Injury Recovery

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Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews says he plans to play on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning after missing nine straight games with an upper-body injury.

"In my mind, I'm playing tomorrow and I'm excited to be back," Matthews said after Friday's practice, per Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star.

Matthews last played on Nov. 3, when he skated more than 22 minutes in an overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild. He was placed on injured reserve five days later.

"I think just like the first 10 minutes, I'll try to get my feet moving and get some puck touches, keep things simple and just go from there... obviously there's going to be a little bit of…