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TORONTO — Auston Matthews said he is ready to return to the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup.The question is whether the team’s medical staff will clear him in time for the game against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night at Scotiabank Arena or wait until Saturday when the Maple Leafs visit the Minnesota Wild.The Maple Leafs did not play Tuesday while the Sharks were in Buffalo www.officialmapleleafsproshop.com , where they lost 3-2 in overtime to the surging Sabres, who won their 10th straight.Article continues below ...It was the second straight loss for the Sharks, who dropped a 6-0 decision on the road to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.Joe Pavelski scored twice in the final nine minutes for the Sharks on Tuesday and leads the team with 15 goals.As for the Maple Leafs, Matthews has missed 14 games since Oct. 27 after he injured his shoulder in a collision with Winnipeg Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba.“In my mind, I feel ready to play (Wednesday),” Matthews said Tuesday after his first practice with contact. “The guys took it easy on me for the most part, but just in those battle drills and competing and stuff, everything felt good.”Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said final clearance for Matthews would not come until it is discussed with athletic therapist Paul Ayotte.The 21-year-old center has 10 goals and six assists in 11 games this season.“He looked fine out there (Tuesday) so we’ll see how he is,” Babcock said.The Maple Leafs (17-8-0)are 9-5-0 this season without Matthews, including a 4-2 victory over the Boston Bruins Monday night. The Maple Leafs have won five straight home games.“It’s never about one player Toronto Maple Leafs T-Shirts Authentic , it’s about the team,” Babcock said. “We have a good leadership and the guys have worked hard most nights. We’ve had a tough schedule.”Mitch Marner has been playing particularly well. He had three assists against the Bruins on Monday and has six goals and 27 assists in 25 games.At times, it has looked as though Marner is playing a different game than the other players at times.“I think that’s what you think with all good players, is it not?” Babcock said. “I think, if you’re watching (Boston), I think you think when (David Pastrnak) gets the puck and he’s playing a different game than everybody else too.“What’s amazing is most of us have no time and space whatsoever. We’re banging it here and banging it there and chasing it. Then the really good guys seem to have all the time in the world and that’s what you’re talking about. That’s why they’re just gliding all over the rink and it’s seems effortless and it seems like fun and they have the puck all the time and you can’t figure out why. They’re just better than everybody else.”The Sharks (12-8-5) are 4-5-3 on the road. They are considered somewhat of a disappointment so far this season.“We’ll find it,” said backup goaltender Aaron Dell, who could get the start Wednesday after Martin Jones got the call Tuesday. “It’s coming more and more. We were a little too offensive-minded to start and then we went polar opposite for a while and tried to play too much defense. Now, we’re going back and forth trying to find that middle. A little more time and we should be able to get that perfected and we’ll be a tough team to beat.”The Maple Leafs beat the Sharks 5-3 in San Jose on Nov. 15.“I get the frustration,” Sharks defenseman Joakim Ryan told the San Jose Mercury News. “It’s natural for a fan base. Everyone in here grew up being a fan and you’re (upset) when the team loses. That’s what you should expect. It’s completely understandable. It’s frustrating when you’re not consistent. We could be doing a lot better. But considering how it’s gone Toronto Maple Leafs Hoodies Authentic , we’re still in a good spot.”“We still have a lot of the same core guys, but some of the new guys that have come in are pretty important pieces,” San Jose defenseman Brenden Dillon said. “We know we’re a good team and we know we’re going to be a great team.” As an expansion team, the Vegas Golden Knights have defied all sorts of odds.Long shots to even make the playoffs seven months ago, they are a favorite to hoist the Stanley Cup in June. Behind the stellar play of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, the Golden Knights completed a sweep of the Los Angeles Kings to move into the second round against San Jose.That puts the Golden Knights in some rare company as they became the first expansion team in NHL history to sweep a series in their inaugural season . The Pittsburgh Penguins recorded a sweep in their first playoffs appearance in 1970, which was their third season in the NHL. Not to be overlooked are the St. Louis Blues, who made three straight Stanley Cup finals beginning in 1967-68 after the league expanded and threw all the new teams into the same division. The Florida Panthers also had early success, going to the 1996 Finals three years after entering the league.”We’re just trying to be as good as we can be,” Vegas general manager George McPhee said. ”No one knows what exactly is going to happen. We think we’re a pretty good club Toronto Maple Leafs Hats Authentic , but we’ll keep trying to do what we’re doing and see where it takes us.”After a few days off, the crew gets back to work with the Sharks looming.Asked if the down time was good for his squad, McPhee responded: ”This is not like the bye week where they have five days off and they’re not skating or they’re not training. We’re not going to Mexico.”A look at a few of the expansion/charter teams that found success early:CAROLINA PANTHERS & JACKSONVILLE JAGUARSCarolina went 7-9 in its inaugural season in 1995 with Kerry Collins leading the way. The Panthers made it to the NFC championship game one season later, losing 30-13 to Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers. Jacksonville followed a similar path. The Jaguars went 4-12 in `95 and then caught fire and made it to the AFC championship game the next season behind QB Mark Brunell, before a 20-6 loss to New England.MILWAUKEE BUCKSOK, their first season wasn’t all that dazzling at 27-55 in 1968-69. But then the Bucks drafted a center named Lew Alcindor – now known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – with the No. 1 pick. In 1970-71, the Bucks captured an NBA title by sweeping the Baltimore Bullets. Oscar Robertson wasn’t too bad for Milwaukee, either.ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKSStarting in 1998, the Diamondbacks got off to a 65-97 mark. Three seasons later, with Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling leading the rotation Custom Toronto Maple Leafs Jerseys , they were World Series champions. Arizona beat the New York Yankees in Game 7, with Luis Gonzalez bringing home the winning run with a single off closer Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the ninth inning.D.C. UNITEDThe Major League Soccer team was the best of the best in the charter league. The squad captured three of the first four MLS Cups – 1996, ’97 and ’98. Their first coach was Bruce Arena.PHILADELPHIA/BALTIMORE STARSDonald J. Trump owned the New Jersey Generals in the fledgling USFL, which ran from 1983-85, but the Stars ruled. The Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars reached the championship game all three years, winning the title twice. They lost to the Michigan Panthers in the 1983 championship game, then beat the Arizona Wranglers to cap the 1983-84 season. After relocating to Baltimore, the Stars beat the Oakland Invaders for their second straight title in the league’s last hurrah. The team was coached by Jim Mora and their quarterback was Chuck Fusina, the former Penn State standout who finished runner-up to Oklahoma’s Billy Sims in the 1978 Heisman race.—AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton contributed.—