Leafs' Babcock: Matthews 'looks like he's getting close' to return

Toronto Maple Leafs phenom Auston Matthews will miss his ninth straight game Saturday with a shoulder injury, but head coach Mike Babcock said he "looks like he's getting close" to returning, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

With Matthews, Leo Komarov (lower-body injury), Nikita Zaitsev (illness), and Frederik Andersen (upper-body injury) all sidelined, the Leafs will be a bit shorthanded when they take on the Montreal Canadiens.

The Maple Leafs sit five points behind the Boston Bruins (with two more games played) for second place in the Atlantic Division, but are 14 points ahead of the Florida Panthers. With the third spot in the division all but secured, there's been no reason to rush Matthews back into the lineup.

The Leafs have gone 4-2-2 in their most recent stretch without Matthews. Despite playing in just 53 of the team's 71 games, he still ranks second on the team with 28 goals and third with 50 points.