The Toronto Maple Leafs placed captain Auston Matthews on the injured reserve list on Tuesday, allowing the team to recall the player ahead of a matinee against the New York Islanders.
A team spokesman said Matthews, who suffered an upper-body injury, has not experienced any setbacks. The move was retroactive to Dec. 20, when Matthews last played against the Buffalo Sabres.
“He skated yesterday and had a good skate,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said in pregame availability. “I was glad he came out. It was good to see him in practice with us.
“Actually, we'll go over there and see how he's progressing tomorrow and see if he's out there practicing again.”
Matthews has 11 goals and 12 assists in 24 games this season.
The Maple Leafs recalled defenseman Marshall Rifai from the AHL's Toronto Marlies. Additionally, blueliner Oliver Ekman-Larsson and forward Pontus Homberg were unavailable for Tuesday's game due to illness.
Entering Tuesday's game, the Maple Leafs (22-13-2) had gone three of their last four games without Matthews in the lineup.
Mathews won the Rocket Richard Trophy last season with 69 goals. The first overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft has 672 points (379-293) in 586 career regular-season games.
The Maple Leafs will play the back end of a home-and-home set against the Islanders on Thursday night.
