The Maple Leafs captain is scoring all the time again, but is he back to peak Matthews? Also, what's behind Rielly's struggles?

The Maple Leafs' dependence on their 'Core Four' forwards is even more pronounced this season as their blueliners struggle to put up points. That's not likely to change.

In his weekly mailbag, Kevin McGran takes questions on Morgan Rielly’s minuses, Dennis Hildeby’s future, the 4 Nations Face-off and more.

TORONTO -- Auston Matthews scored for the fourth straight game and had an assist for the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 5-3 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Scotiabank Arena on Monday. The goal was Matthews’ eighth in nine games since his return after missing the previous six because of an upper-body injury.

After the Toronto Maple Leafs were outclassed 3-0 by the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, head coach Craig Berube made several changes during Monday’s practice.

The Maple Leafs need a centre and will try to get one before the March 7 NHL trade deadline. Who makes sense? Jonas and CJ weigh in.

From Downeyville, near Lindsay, the 6-foot defenceman had played with the Johnstown Jets against the Long Island Ducks on the afternoon of Feb. 24, 1963, when his parent team, the visiting Detroit Red Wings were down to three blueliners that night against the Rangers. Lucas made it, but not until the second period.

The Leafs, after losing three straight, fired off three consecutive victories and are one of the NHL’s hottest teams, winning eight of their last 11.

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ new defensive structure worked well in the club’s 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday. Specifically, Morgan Rielly and Jake McCabe formed a new pairing on the blueline that left all parties leaving Scotiabank Arena feeling promising.

The Maple Leafs forward stepped into the fray when Toronto defenceman Morgan Rielly got tangled up with Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak during a Game 5 scrum. Knies, who mocked the former 61-goal man for not challenging him, scored in overtime later that night to keep his team alive in the first-round series.

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll received a maintenance day and did not practice Tuesday. Woll has been operating as the Maple Leafs’ No. 1 goaltender and has started in Toronto’s past four games.

Each morning, we will bring you three key NHL stories. Here, you can stay updated on the latest team wins and losses, trade talk, and player news from around the NHL.