NEW YORK — Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews plans to keep his game simple on Saturday night as he returns from a concussion against the New York Rangers.
The concussion was the first of Matthews’s career and forced him to miss the last six games.
"As far as conditioning it’s not totally going to be there, but hopefully throughout the first, second and third period I just get better and better, start feeling better each period, just do what I do," Matthews told reporters after Saturday’s morning skate.
"I want to contribute in a number of different ways and just play my game and have fun."
Matthews leads the Leafs with 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) in 26 games this season. He’ll centre a line with Zach Hyman and William Nylander against the Rangers.
The star centre took an accidental hit to the head from Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly late in a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 9.
He also missed four games in November with what the team called an "upper-body injury."
Toronto has gone 2-4 in their latest stint without Matthews, and 6-4 over the two absences.
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