TORONTO -- Auston Matthews said he's ready to return to the lineup when the Toronto Maple Leafs host the San Jose Sharks at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; SN, TVAS, NBCSCA, NHL.TV), but is awaiting clearance from the medical staff.
"I felt good," said the 21-year-old center, who has missed 14 games with a shoulder injury. "I don't know, I think guys for the most part took it easy on me but just in those battle drills and competing and stuff, everything felt good.
"Me in my mind, I feel ready to play tomorrow. I still have to talk to the medical guys but as far as I'm concerned, I feel pretty ready to go."
Coach Mike Babcock said the decision on whether Matthews will return Wednesday will not be made until the morning.
"I'm not sure, we'll know more tomorrow morning but we'll see how he does," Babcock said. "It wasn't a long practice or anything but he looked fine out there today so we'll see how he is."
Matthews was injured when he was hit by Winnipeg Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba when trying to go to the net during a 3-2 Toronto win Oct. 27. Matthews wore a regular jersey in practice for the first time Tuesday and took part in some battle drills.
"I took some bumps today and kind of initiating contact and going into the corners and spinning off guys," Matthews said. "To me, that all felt good, but I guess the real test is the game. But as far as me doing contact stuff for the past week, everything has felt solid and fine. I think the goal is to not get crunched like I did when the injury happened but to kind of see stuff coming. Not to shy away from hits but obviously take the lesser part of them."
Matthews took part in an optional morning skate Saturday but had not been cleared for contact. His first full practice wearing a non-contact jersey was Nov. 18. Since his injury, he has been skating regularly on his own and does not envision conditioning being an issue.
"I expect it should be fine, I've been skating a lot the last couple of weeks," Matthews said. "It's going to be nice to throw the bag skates out the door and get back to playing hockey and fun stuff.
"I've been bored so I've just been watching television shows and doing whatever to pass the time."
At the time of his injury, Matthews had been playing on a line with left wing Patrick Marleau and right wing Kasperi Kapanen. Babcock said he has not decided who Matthews will skate with when he returns.
"To be honest, I haven't thought about it," Babcock said, "because until they tell me he's playing this is just us talking, so when he's available, I'm sure we'll find him some linemates."
The Maple Leafs are 17-8-0 this season and 9-5-0 without Matthews, who has 16 points (10 goals, six assists) in 11 games.
"I think we've been playing fantastically," Matthews said. "It's awesome to see; a big part of you is frustrated because you want to be out there with them and compete and help contribute but it's obviously been a lot of guys playing very well for us and we've been winning games, which is the most important part."
The No. 1 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, Matthews has 148 points (84 goals, 64 assists) in 155 games through three seasons with Toronto.
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