HOCKEY: Leafs celebrate Auston Matthews' US captaincy, take on Lightning

Toronto’s captain is back home with gold, and the Maple Leafs are hoping he brings that championship energy with him.

Auston Matthews, who captained both the Leafs and the U.S. team to Olympic gold at the Milan Cortina Games, will lead Toronto as they aim to start a strong stretch run Wednesday night against the host Tampa Bay Lightning.

Matthews, who leads the team with 26 goals and ranks second with 48 points behind William Nylander, assisted on Matt Boldy’s opening goal in the U.S. gold-medal game, giving his team an early 1-0 advantage.

Even the Canada-born members of the Maple Leafs, who saw their country take home silver, expressed happiness for their teammate despite the “bittersweet” outcome.

Vancouver native and Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly watched the gold-medal game at the team’s practice facility. “For the Toronto Maple Leafs, that’s best-case, in my opinion. To watch your guy be the captain of an Olympic gold-medal winning team, it’s pretty cool,” said Rielly. “If you put ‘Olympic gold medal champion’ next to your name, that adds a lot. He earned it and he’s the captain.”

Toronto coach Craig Berube, an Alberta native, also praised Matthews. “We’re very happy for Auston. … Big boost for him,” Berube said.

With 25 games left in the regular season, Toronto is tied with the Ottawa Senators for fifth in the Eastern Conference wild-card standings at 63 points, six behind the Boston Bruins in the final playoff spot. The Leafs are on a three-game winning streak, tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for the third-longest active streak in the Eastern Conference.

One team with a longer streak? Tampa Bay. The Lightning return to action having won five straight games, including a 6-1 victory over the rival Florida Panthers three weeks ago. Tampa Bay leads the Atlantic Division by six points over the Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings, despite playing at least two fewer games than both teams.

In their last matchup in Toronto on Dec. 8, the Lightning were shut out 2-0 as goaltender Dennis Hildeby stopped 29 shots in the first of three meetings this season.

Tampa Bay hopes to continue its momentum, but injuries along the blue line remain a concern. Max Crozier (core muscle surgery) is expected to miss the rest of the regular season, while captain Victor Hedman sustained a lower-body injury during the Olympics but expects to be available against Toronto.

“As is usually the case, cap space is going to be a challenge, but we’ll see,” GM Julien BriseBois said. “We’re always on the lookout for ways to improve our team. And just as in years past, we’re not only focused on this year, we’re focused on future years as well.”

The Lightning’s defense has been plagued by injuries all season. Hedman has missed 34 games with an elbow injury, while Ryan McDonagh missed 33 and has appeared four times since returning. Emil Lilleberg (23 games), Erik Cernak (19), and Darren Raddysh (six) have also spent time sidelined.

Raddysh has emerged as a key offensive contributor in Hedman’s absence, tallying 17 goals and 35 assists in 49 games, while helping Tampa Bay’s 12th-ranked power play (22.4%). The Toronto native, who turns 30 Saturday, would be a highly sought-after defenseman in free agency if not re-signed by Tampa Bay by July 1.

—Field Level Media/Reuters