Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube told reporters Tuesday that he expects forward Auston Matthews to play Wednesday evening against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Berube added that a final decision on Matthews’ status will be made when he’s back with the team.
“He’s riding a pretty good high right now with winning,” Berube said. “He’s feeling good. We will evaluate that tomorrow and see where he is at. I’ll get a better feel when I talk to him tonight.”
TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston reported earlier Tuesday that the return-to-play status of NHL players on Team USA’s men’s Olympic hockey team remained in question as they celebrate their gold medal Tuesday in Washington.
Johnston reported Matthews would return to the Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
As Team USA celebrates its gold medal today in Washington, the status of players involved remains under discussion as it pertains to their NHL availability.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 24, 2026
That includes Auston Matthews, who will join the #leafs in Tampa before Wednesday's game. Not yet clear if he'll play.
Matthews helped lead the United States to an historic 2-1 overtime victory over Canada in the gold-medal game Sunday in Milan. The team returned to the U.S. on Monday and in a video posted to social media after the win accepted an invitation from U.S. president Donald Trump to attend the state of the union speech Tuesday evening in Washington, D.C., which would give Matthews and his American teammates with games Wednesday a tight turnaround.
However, according to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger in Tuesday’s edition of Early Trading, Matthews and Team USA are no longer expected to attend the 9:00pm ET speech and will instead attend a Tuesday afternoon luncheon.
Matthews, from Scottsdale, Ariz., registered three goals and seven points during Milano Cortina 2026 en route to a gold medal. He also has 26 goals and 48 points in 51 games in Toronto this season as the Maple Leafs look to make a push for the playoffs.
Toronto returns from the Olympic break tied for sixth place in the Atlantic Division with the Ottawa Senators after going 27-21-9 before the Olympic break. They sit six points back of the Boston Bruins for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
