O captain, my captain, our fearful trip is done.

Maple Leafs’ captain Auston Matthews returned to the lineup after a nine-game absence due to a secretive upper-body injury, and he didn’t miss a beat. He finished his first game in close to a month with two assists, two shots, one blocked shot, a plus +2 rating, played over 20 minutes of ice time, and that wasn’t even the most impressive stat of the evening.

Matthews looked fresh, but more importantly, he looked as aggressive as ever and wasn’t playing without any hesitation to engage physically. Throughout Saturday’s game, Matthews would battle in the corners and in front of the net with the Lightning’s 6-foot-4 defenceman Erik Cernak. The Leafs’ captain looked as strong as ever and wasn’t shy to muck it up in the dirty areas of the ice. Sometimes, when players come back from injury and haven’t played in over three weeks, there’s a little bit of reservation to feel out the game before fully engaging, but that wasn’t the case at all for Matthews.

His most impressive stat on the evening, and one that almost makes you breathe a sigh of relief, was the fact he went 16-for-24 in the faceoff circle, a 67% winning percentage. While there have been limited details regarding his upper-body injury, taking and winning faceoffs wasn’t an issue at all, which tells me he’s very close to 100% health, if not already there. Matthews was on a line with Matthew Knies and William Nylander, and while some folks love him with Mitch Marner, head coach Craig Berube decided against it, at least for now. Marner put the team on his back during Matthews’ nine-game absence, so Berube hoped both players would drive their own lines in Tampa Bay.

One of the perks of having Nylander on Matthews’ wing is the fact he can take faceoffs on his strong side. While Nylander went 0-for-2 in the faceoff circle in Tampa Bay, this could be something to follow into the next couple of games. If Matthews is banged up after his return to action or not exactly feeling 100%, keep an eye on how many draws Nylander takes and help alleviate some of the workload.

Whatever had Matthews out of the lineup for 27 days didn’t seem to be affecting his game at all against the Lightning. He was throwing reverse hits in the corner and was trying to lift sticks and press opponents defensively. Matthews seemed to have his legs early and often and didn’t seem rusty at all. Something he mentioned earlier in the week was going to be in the back of his mind. “It’s more so excitement just to be back. You know, I didn’t forget how to play hockey over the last three weeks, but obviously there’s gonna be a little bit of rust,” Matthews told Sportsnet’s Luke Fox.

With two assists and over 20 minutes of ice time, including on both sides of special teams, and a dominant night in the faceoff circle, rust wasn’t going to get in the way of helping the team win. “I felt fine, I think as the game went on, I felt a little bit better,” Matthews said via NHL.com’s Corey Long.

“I still felt a little bit rusty, but I thought our line played pretty solid all around and simple for the most part. Obviously it feels good to chip in on some goals there, especially early on. I just want to continue to go forward and get better each game.”

The Maple Leafs were 7-2-0 without Matthews in the lineup and took care of business in his return to the mix. Four of the Leafs’ next six games are against teams under .500. It’s time to pile up the points, overtake the Florida Panthers, and create some separation in the Atlantic Division.

With Matthews back leading the charge, Christmas came early in Toronto, and anything is possible heading into the new year.