Auston Matthews expected to play vs Lightning, Craig Berube says; line combos to watch

With the Toronto Maple Leafs back on the ice Wednesday vs. Tampa Bay, the question of whether or not the team will have Auston Matthews remains unsolved.

After making a trip to Miami for a little get together, he heads to the White House before eventually making his way back to Tampa Bay to join his team as they resume the regular season, and the team is expecting him to be available come Wednesday.

Though Chris Johnston earlier reported that he believed it would be 'surprising' if Matthews suited up given the schedule and timing of events, head coach Craig Berube really doesn't see an issue with his captain coming back.

Berube explained to reporters at Maple Leafs practice on Tuesday that he expects Matthews to be ready to go against the Lightning however will be evaluating things once everyone is together:

Matthews has a lot to celebrate after a fantastic Olympics capped off with a gold medal, but with his focus turning now to the playoff push -- the Maple Leafs might be in good hands.

He knows what it means to win now. He's at the tippy-top of the mountain; this is bigger than a Stanley Cup.

To be the leader of that team too has to give him overwhelming confidence and if he can translate that to the rest of the season then we may see something special.

This season, Matthews has 48 points in 51 games (26 goals, 22 assists) and no doubt will be factored into things right away. If he gets hot off the jump, then that playoff push doesn't seem so daunting.

But if Matthews were to miss then how would the team line up? Let's take a look:

McMann - Domi - Cowan
Maccelli - Jarnkrok - Nylander
Knies - Roy - Robertson
Lorentz - Laughton - Joshua

McCabe - Ekman-Larsson
Rielly - Carlo
Benoit - Stecher
Myers

Two things stick out right away as John Tavares is out with the flu, and with Matthews gone, Berube has decided that Calle Jarnkrok is the man in the middle as opposed to Roy or Laughton.

Also you notice Dakota Joshua back in the fray after missing since mid-December with a lacerated kidney. He looks ready but will be on a workload restriction especially due to a back to back Wednesday/Thursday:

Craig Berube is also still a bit mum on the goaltending situation but we will likely know more about that on Wednesday morning.

Tavares is expected to play against Tampa Bay and will more than likely slot into the 2C when he comes back. If Matthews is there, then Domi heads to the wing while Easton Cowan is presumably a healthy scratch.

Once Matthews gets back and things become a bit more normal, then we will be able to have a better idea of what the lineup looks like going forward. But with a deadline in two weeks for deals to be made -- we could be looking at a different group of guys anyhow.

Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Brad Marchand's postgame comment about Sidney Crosby after gold medal loss draws reaction