Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews got back into the lineup Saturday night against the Florida Panthers.

Matthews missed Toronto's previous three games due to the undisclosed injury he sustained last Saturday against the Ottawa Senators.

"I’m excited to get back in," Matthews told The Leafs Nation's David Alter before the contest.

Matthews has authored an MVP-caliber season in 2021-22 with 58 goals and 102 points in 70 contests. He came into Saturday with four games remaining as he seeks to become the first 60-goal scorer since Steven Stamkos in 2011-12.

The Maple Leafs sat second in the Atlantic Division with 108 points - six clear of the Tampa Bay Lightning - before facing the Panthers.

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The Hart Trophy is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, but if Florida Panthers winger Jonathan Huberdeau had a say, Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews would be atop his ballot.

"Matthews is having a great year, so I think I'd probably give it to him," Huberdeau told reporters ahead of Saturday's meeting between the Panthers and Maple Leafs.

Huberdeau added: "He's special. I had to chance to play (in the) All-Star Game with him. ... You give him the puck and he's going to score every time. Not a lot of guys can get close to 60 goals."

Matthews leads the league with 58 goals and ranks fifth with 102 points despite missing eight of his team's games this season. He was out for the last three games with an undisclosed injury, but he'll return Saturday where he'll have a chance to become the first player since Steven Stamkos in 2011-12 to reach the 60-goal mark.

"Hopefully, he doesn't get it tonight," Huberdeau laughed.

Huberdeau is no slouch himself. He sits first in the NHL with 83 assists and second with 113 points. However, Matthews is considered by many to be the front-runner for the Hart - not only for his goal-scoring ability, but also for his dominant two-way play.

It's shaping up to be a tight race, though. Connor McDavid, Johnny Gaudreau, Roman Josi, Cale Makar, and Igor Shesterkin all warrant consideration, too.

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Evander Kane netted a hat trick as the Edmonton Oilers punched their postseason ticket for the third consecutive season with a 6-3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Friday.

The Oilers can finish no higher than second in the Pacific Division because their provincial rivals, the Calgary Flames, clinched first place Thursday. The Flames lead the second-place Oilers by eight points with four games to go, and Calgary holds the tiebreaker with six more regulation wins.

Edmonton improved to 46-26-6 on the season.

The Winnipeg Jets swept the Oilers out of the first round in the 2021 campaign, and the Chicago Blackhawks upset Edmonton in four games of a best-of-five series in the 2020 qualifying round.

The Oilers haven't advanced past the first round since bowing out in the next stage in 2016-17, and they haven't gotten past the second round since losing the Stanley Cup Final in 2005-06.

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Robin Lehner's campaign is over.

The Vegas Golden Knights netminder will undergo season-ending surgery, sources told ESPN's Emily Kaplan.

Lehner attempted to play through a major knee injury he suffered March 8, Kaplan added.

The 30-year-old missed five games in February with an upper-body injury. He then started four more games before going back on injured reserve with a lower-body ailment. The Swede missed 12 more contests before returning to the crease April 3.

Lehner finishes his season with a 2.83 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage in 44 games. His save percentage was the worst he's posted in a single season since his 2014-15 campaign with the Ottawa Senators, although it's considered league average this season.

The Golden Knights will now be counting on 24-year-old Logan Thompson to get them into the playoffs. The rookie goaltender has recorded a 2.56 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage in 15 games this season.

Veteran Laurent Brossoit, who was signed this past offseason to be Lehner's backup after Vegas traded away Marc-Andre Fleury, hasn't played since March 15 due to an undisclosed injury.

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The bank accounts for a pair of Toronto Maple Leafs enforcers are a bit lighter following Thursday's chippy affair with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Wayne Simmonds was fined $2,250 by the NHL's Department of Player Safety for charging Mikhail Sergachev, while Kyle Clifford was docked $2,500 for high-sticking Corey Perry.

Here's a look at Simmonds' hit:

Simmonds may have been seeking retribution on Sergachev for punching Michael Bunting in the back of the head earlier in the contest.

Sergachev was not penalized or disciplined for the play.

Simmonds also dropped the gloves with Lightning heavyweight Pat Maroon later in the game.

Meanwhile, Clifford used the butt end of his stick to bonk a helmetless Perry on top of the head.

All told, there were 114 penalty minutes handed out during the contest, which the Lightning won 8-1. Simmonds and Clifford combined for 25 of them.

Toronto and Tampa Bay are currently slated to meet in Round 1 of the playoffs.

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