Auston Matthews was named captain of Team USA for the 4 Nations Face-Off on Wednesday. The 27-year-old center is in his first season as captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 4 Nations Face-Off will be the first time Matthews will represent the United States since joining the NHL for the 2016-17 season.

Matthews has looked closer to himself since returning to game action on January 4 against the Boston Bruins – his second full comeback of the season. In the 11 games back in the lineup, Matthews has recorded at least a point in nine of those appearances – registering nine goals and six assists for a 15-point total.

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews addressed concerns regarding the significant decline in the team's offensive production following their third consecutive loss, a 3-1 defeat to the Minnesot

Jared Spurgeon and Marat Khusnutdinov scored in the first period, Filip Gustavsson stopped 31 shots, and the Minnesota Wild beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1.

It wasn’t until William Nylander, the ‘Breakaway Man,’ went toe-to-toe with fellow Swede and Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson on yet another chance in alone but striking the

The Minnesota Wild took care of business in their cross-conference matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs. By a score of 3-1, the Wild took down one of the top

Squaring off with nearly identical records entering Wednesday’s contest, the Toronto Maple Leafs were presented with a key opportunity to get out of a rut against a quality Minnesota Wild team, with a four-game road trip on the horizon before the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

Filip Gustavsson made 32 saves for the Minnesota Wild in a 3-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday. “We had really strong work ethic,” Minnesota coach John Hynes said.

It has come to this ahead of the teammates squaring off against each other. Hear it from the horse’s mouth in the video down below:

Toronto Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews, centre, tries to tip the puck in front of Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson, right, as Jake Middleton, left, defends during the second period in Toronto on Jan. 29. Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press

The hot streak comes at at perfect time for Matthews and the United States. The center, who grew up in Arizona, will join Team United States for the 4 Nations Face-Off in Montreal and Boston from Feb. 12-20 and begin play against Team Finland at Bell Centre on Feb. 13 (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS).