Updates on Matthews and Tkachuk ahead of Battle of Ontario.

What would a Battle of Ontario really be without the captains on the ice?

Circumstances threatened to put a damper on tonight's rather exciting Battle of Ontario between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators with some real doubt being cast on the status of both the Maple Leafs and Senators captains ahead of tonight's big game.

In the case of Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews, concerns were raised when Matthews was notably absent from the team's morning skate. Matthews has been dealing with a lingering injury all season long and many suspect that has been the cause of his decline in scoring this season, so naturally some alarm bells went off for observers who noticed Matthews was not on the ice.

That being said, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube has since confirmed that Matthews will indeed play tonight in spite of missing the skate this morning.

The concerns around Senators captain Brady Tkachuk may have been a bit more serious with Tkachuk missing the final few minutes of Thursday game against the Boston Bruins. Tkachuk appeared to be dealing with some type of injury and was limited to just 14 minutes and 16 seconds of ice time, raising questions about his availability for today's game.

Thankfully it sounds like the news on the Tkachuk front is also positive with head coach Travis Green indicating on Saturday that Tkachuk was doing well and would play

"He’s fine," said Green confirming Tkachuk would play.

In spite of some concerns that both Auston Matthews and Brady Tkachuk could miss today's Battle of Ontario I am happy to report that both men will be on the ice for what should be a great game between two Atlantic Division rivals that could potentially meet one another in the Stanley Cup playoffs later this year.