TAMPA, Fla. — And for Knies’ next trick…
He will pass a puck to Morgan Rielly between his legs at full speed, park himself net-front, then slam home an Auston Matthews feed for a hat-trick game-winning overtime goal in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ most important game of the season.
The one that, in all likelihood, seals top seed in the Atlantic Division and, at the very least, slaps a giant exclamation mark on the most impactful 24 hours of Matthew Knies’ burgeoning NHL career.
“I was just hopping on the ice, and I was having trouble believing what I was seeing in front of me,” Matthews would later say of the artful orchestration by the youngest and largest member of the team.
“I’m not sure I recommend that play,” said coach Craig Berube, who hugged the OT hero on his way out of the interview room anyway. “But guys try things, you know? What’d he try, the Michigan the other night? I mean, he’s got confidence right now.”
Heck, the only folks playing with more confidence than Toronto’s super sophomore these days are the investors getting the heads-up on Trump’s next move.
One night before Knies hung three clutch goals on the rival Tampa Bay Lightning — leaving his fingerprints all over a 4-3 road win and becoming the first Leaf to cap a hatty in OT since Mats Sundin scored his 500th in 2006 — he was giving the harshest and most urgent assessment of the club’s lacklustre loss to Florida Panthers.
Knies had used the word soft to describe the group’s effort, then joined his teammates in playing hard. He demanded more juice, then strode into Amalie Arena with his head high and his arms toting gallons of the stuff.
Toronto’s top line of Knies (three goals, plus-3), Matthews (three assists, plus-3), and Mitch Marner (one goal, two assists, plus-2) set the bounce-back effort’s tone early, beating Andrei Vasilevskiy twice on the team’s first four shots. Then delivered under pressure late, the joyous celebrations washing away the threat of a blown lead — in the game and in the standings.
“We brought a lot of energy the first five minutes,” Knies said, “and I think we did a great job of shutting down their best players. It’s the kind of effort that we’re going to need on a daily basis. Especially when it comes to playoff time, we’re going to need to step up and provide those big moments.”
Knies talked that talk, then walked that walk, barking at Erik Cernak and dribbling between the legs all the way.
“The whole reason is for his success is his competitiveness,” Berube said. “It’s really, really high-end, in my opinion. Like, he wins battles. He skates through people all night, gets in there on the forecheck, wins battles down low, hangs on the pucks. I mean, he’s a highly competitive player.”
Fans saw the germination of playoff-ready Knies in last spring’s Boston series, when he fearlessly got up in the face of David Pastrnak and began to dent the scoresheet in must-win games.
Today, he’s a first-line fixture, a multi-tool power forward who has already racked up 29 goals and 55 points with runway to spare.
“He’s just a confident person in general,” Matthews says. “He’s got a pretty good idea of who he is and what makes him successful, and I think he really leans into that — which is really great.
“He’s got a big personality, and all the guys on the team really get a laugh out of him. He brings great energy into the room every day. So, it’s not really a surprise to me. A guy like him, he’s just going to continue to get better and better. His ceiling is extremely high, and he’s been taking some really big steps this year.”
So have the Maple Leafs, in terms of digging in under pressure, battling for a premium playoff position, and blocking shots.
They set a single-game franchise record in that regard Wednesday with 33 blocks, and goaltender Anthony Stolarz was superb in mopping up most of the ones that did seep through.
“It feels incredible just getting this win against a rival team. It’s a good feeling that locker room,” Knies smiled.
So… what was he thinking mixing in that trick pass to set up his own hat trick to cap off the most exciting game of Toronto’s season?
“I’m not too sure. Just thought I’d try it. I saw that the D kind of flipped his hips and that the play was open,” Knies said.
“Not sure what I was thinking.”
When you’re as confident as Knies is these days, you don’t think.
You just play.
Fox’s Fast Five
• How different would the vibes be had Brayden Point made good on his hard-earned 3-on-3 breakaway.
But Anthony Stolarz zoned in and predicted the all-star’s move: “He was coming down with a lot of speed. He’s a righty, and guys tend to like to go over the pad, under the glove. So, I kind of just threw everything out there — and luckily it hit the pad.”
Morgan Rielly owes the goalie a bundt cake or something.
• Tampa has made remarkable strides defensively this season.
The club ranked 23rd in goals against per game in 2023-24 (3.18) and has buckled down to third in the critical category (2.58).
How’d that happen?
A full season of healthy Vasilevskiy, some of the league’s best defensive forwards, a top-five penalty kill, improving young D-men, and the return of a familiar defensive stalwart.
“A Norris Trophy will be given out, and it’s not going to Ryan McDonagh. Because Ryan McDonagh will never get enough points to be in the realm of that award,” Cooper said of Tampa’s Masterton nominee. “But I’m a big believer that there should be another award for Best Defensive Defenceman out there.
“You ask anybody on the team, especially the goaltenders, how valuable he is.”
• Death, taxes, and Matthew Knies scoring in Tampa.
Ten of the power forward’s 44 career goals (22.7 per cent) have been scored against the Lightning.
• Bobby McMann dropped the gloves with Brayden Point and joined Berube’s Fight Club.
Thirteen different Maple Leafs have scrapped this season.
• While the Maple Leafs’ odds of claiming the Atlantic crown have spiked to 83.9 per cent, according to MoneyPuck.com, the Lightning’s favourable schedule offers a sliver of hope.
Toronto’s visit marked the beginning of a four-game homestand in which the Bolts catch their opponent on a sluggish end of back-to-back, fresh off facing Florida. Tampa’s finale will be in New York against a gutted Rangers squad.
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