Matthews scores in Maple Leafs win against Predators

NASHVILLE -- Auston Matthews scored in his return to help the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 5-2 win against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday.

"I felt fine out there," said Matthews, who missed the previous 10 games after injuring his shoulder Feb. 22 against the New York Islanders. "I got engaged early, got the puck, able to make a couple of plays, and that kind of builds your confidence for the rest of the game. Obviously, Zach Hyman] and [William Nylander] did what they do, and we were able to kind of get the puck and move around a little bit and get some good opportunities."
[[WATCH: All Maple Leafs vs. Predators highlights]
The Maple Leafs (44-23-7), who went 5-3-2 without Matthews, are in third place in the Atlantic Division, five points behind the Boston Bruins for second.
"We haven't secured our spot yet, but we feel like we're going to get in [the Stanley Cup Playoffs]," Toronto coach Mike Babcock said. "We think we're a young team that's getting better all the time."

The Predators (48-15-10) had their 15-game point streak (14-0-1) come to an end. They are eight points ahead of the Winnipeg Jets for first place in the Central Division and tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning atop the NHL standings.
"I think we deserved every second of that," Nashville defenseman Ryan Ellis said. "A good team came in here and played a lot better than us. I think you look at this stretch we've had with 14, 15, 16 games with points or whatever it is, we've been squeaking out wins. We've been finding ways to win. That's not playoff hockey, and we've gotten away with that for some time, and it finally caught up with us playing a really good team."

Matthews put the Maple Leafs ahead 2-1 at 15:06 of the second period. He dangled through traffic in front of the net and got the rebound of his own shot to beat goaltender Pekka Rinne for his 29th goal.
"I thought we just moved the puck really well," Matthews said. "We were able to spread them out a little bit on the entry. The puck was just sitting there and I was able to pick it out, and I don't think Rinne knew where the puck was."
Nylander gave Toronto a 3-1 lead at 16:44. Hyman got the puck to the net, and Nylander got to it in the crease and beat Rinne.

Mitchell Marner made it 4-1 nine seconds into the third period with a power-play goal. It was his 20th goal.
"We just want to keep winning games here," Marner said. "Obviously that [4-3 loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday after leading 3-0] wasn't how we wanted to finish it, but that's a learning lesson for us, which is important to have, especially now rather than in the playoffs. We wanted to start off the third period with a push back, and I think we started out how we wanted to."
Defenseman Jake Gardiner made it 5-1 at 3:39 with his fifth goal, first in 16 games dating to Feb. 12.
James van Riemsdyk gave the Maple Leafs a 1-0 lead at 4:03 of the first period. It was his 34th goal, eighth in five games.

Viktor Arvidsson scored on the power play to tie it 1-1 at 5:42 of the second period.
Predators forward Scott Hartnell scored to make it 5-2 at 15:37 of the third period.

Goal of the game

Marner's goal nine seconds into the third period.

Save of the game

Andersen stopping Arvidsson at 7:32 of the first period.

Highlight of the game

Matthews' goal at 15:06 of the second period.

They said it

"He looked great. I asked him between periods after the first how he felt, and he felt fine. Obviously, that's nice to hear. Usually when you come back off that long period of time, you kind of get a little exhausted after that first period. Obviously, it looked like he didn't miss a step out there, so it's nice seeing that and nice having him back."-- Maple Leafs forward Mitchell Marner on the return of Auston Matthews
"I think they're obviously well-coached, and they came in here with a game plan and executed. We're really well-coached and came in with a game plan and didn't execute. At the end of the day, that lies with the players in this room. Obviously, I think they played a good game, but we didn't. That's it." -- Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis

Need to know

Marner has three goals and seven assists in a seven-game point streak. … The Predators are 25-5-5 since Ellis made his season debut Jan. 2 following offseason knee surgery.

What's next

Maple Leafs: Host the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, FS-D, NHL.TV)
Predators: At the Minnesota Wild on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; FS-N+, FS-TN, NHL.TV)