Matthews on track to play for U.S. at 4 Nations despite missing time with injury

TORONTO -- Auston Matthews is on track to play for the United States when the 4 Nations Face-off begins on Feb. 12 despite dealing with an upper-body injury that has bothered him since training camp.

“There’s nothing right at this point that would make me worry about (his participation),” Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said Monday. “We’re still a month away or so. With all players you look at where they are at at that time. But hopefully there are no setbacks and everything keeps moving forward.”

The Maple Leafs captain missed nine games in November and six from Dec. 21 to Jan. 2.

But since returning to the lineup Jan. 4 in a 6-4 win against the Boston Bruins, the 27-year-old has looked as comfortable as he has all season.

And his production has reflected that, putting up eight points (three goals, five assists) in his first four games back before being held without a point in a 3-0 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.

“He’s doing well,” Treliving said. “The question at the time was asked and nothing is 100 percent right? We’re all day to day aren’t we? We gave it a lot of time. He put a lot of work into getting through it and touch wood that we are on the other side of it. I think you can see by his play since he’s been back that he’s feeling good and we’re hopeful it’s behind him.”

The 4 Nations Face-off, a best-on-best tournament that will feature teams of NHL players from the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland, will be the first time Matthews has represented the U.S. since joining the NHL in the 2016-17 season. He played for Team North America in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

The United States plays its first game of the 4 Nations Face-Off against Finland on Feb. 13 at Bell Centre in Montreal (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS).

Neither Matthews, Treliving or coach Craig Berube have offered any further specifics as to the exact nature of the injury, though the coach did say it was not related to the wrist injury that required Matthews to have surgery in the 2021 offseason. During his initial absence in November, Matthews travelled to Germany for further consultation with a doctor that he and the Maple Leafs have used in the past.

He admitted prior to his latest return that the injury is one he will have to continue to monitor throughout the season.

“Just trying to work back into things, just try to feel good,” Matthews said. “You’re always kind of managing stuff throughout the year and just trying to stay on top of it and try to feel as good as you can when you get in the lineup.

“I don’t know (if I can fully get past it this season), I hope so. That’s obviously the goal. It’s tricky with these things sometimes. It’s a physical sport, it’s a contact sport so things happen out there sometimes that are out of your control. So just try to manage it as best as I can and we can and go from there.”

Matthews led the League with an NHL career-high 69 goals last season, the most in a single season since Alexander Mogilny and Teemu Selanne each scored 76 in 1992-93. Matthews, who his fourth on the Maple Leafs this season with 31 points (14 goals, 17 assists) in 29 games, leads the NHL with 382 goals since entering the League in 2016-17.

The Maple Leafs (27-15-2), who lead the Atlantic Division, next play Tuesday, at home against the Dallas Stars (7 p.m. ET; TSN4, Victory+).