John Tavares, Matthew Knies to return to Maple Leafs’ lineup Saturday against Oilers

The Toronto Maple Leafs are getting closer to full strength.

As the Maple Leafs open up a four-game western road swing against the Edmonton Oilers Saturday night, they’ll be receiving a huge boost to their lineup, as both John Tavares and Matthew Knies are set to return. Knies is expected to skate on the top line alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, meanwhile, Tavares will be centering the second line, flanking Max Pacioretty and William Nylander.

Tavares, 34, has recorded 20 goals, and 42 points in 44 games this season. The Oakville, ON native hasn’t played since Jan.14, nursing a lower-body injury. Meanwhile, Knies has been dealing with an upper-body injury, and hasn’t seen action since Jan.22, against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Knies has recorded 18 goals, and 31 points in 47 games, as the Leafs’ power forward is showing off a wide range of tools throughout his sophomore season. Knies is averaging 18:20 of ice-time under head coach Craig Berube, which is a significant increase in responsibility, after he saw just 13:40 per game under Sheldon Keefe during his rookie year.

While Tavares and Knies’ return to the Leafs’ lineup will help balance things out up front, the team is also expected to have goaltender Anthony Stolarz back in the mix against the Oilers. He’ll likely be backing up Joseph Woll, as Stolarz hasn’t seen action since Dec.12 against the Anaheim Ducks. Stolarz has been stellar in his first season as a Leaf, posting a 9-5-2 record, along with a 2.15 goals against average and .927 save percentage.

The Maple Leafs are 4-6-0 in their last 10 games, and have lost three straight. Their offence has been stale of late, scoring just one goal in each of their last three games. Toronto trails the Florida Panthers by one point for top spot in the Atlantic Division, and will be in for a big test against Connor McDavid and the Oilers on Saturday night.