Sports

Eyes widened by Lightning, Maple Leafs’ Matthew Knies takes centre stage in win

TORONTO — Each participant has that one. That opponent whose crest, on sight, sparks one thing totally different, faucets into one thing deeper, will get the blood boiling.

For the Toronto Maple Leafs’ younger power-forward-in-training, Matthew Knies, there isn’t any query — by way of seven regular-season video games in opposition to Tampa Bay coming into Monday’s tilt, Knies had collected a tidy 10 factors, the Lightning rating as the one membership in opposition to whom the 22-year-old has managed double-digit scoring.

And Monday evening, underneath the Scotiabank Area lights, the licensed Bolt-killer struck once more.

It began simply 4 minutes in, Knies selecting up an early helper on the sport’s opening objective with a deft one-touch neutral-zone move that despatched Auston Matthews galloping in the direction of the Lightning’s cage unencumbered. However it was late within the second interval that the younger winger really made his presence identified. 

After almost 40 minutes of ice-tilting sequences from Toronto’s high line, the trio’s strain lastly bubbled over because the second intermission loomed.

Knies and Matthews, the 2 Arizona merchandise, performed catch within the impartial zone earlier than Mitch Marner ultimately whipped a move by way of a large number of white jerseys, discovering a streaking Knies, who fired it on internet with a lot intention that the closest Bolts defender’s stick went flying by way of the air.

A interval later, Knies struck once more, this time posting up on the netfront on a Maple Leafs energy play, accumulating a point-shot rebound, and going backhand-forehand to beat Tampa’s Jonas Johansson.

“Kniesy, for me, he’s been driving,” head coach Craig Berube stated after the ultimate buzzer sounded on what wound up a 5-3 Maple Leafs victory, Knies’ second tally ending as the sport winner. “He’s actually enjoying that energy forward-type recreation to a T in my view proper now, and that basically helps that line out.”

“He’s acquired just a little little bit of every thing,” added netminder Joseph Woll, who registered his third straight win within the cage. “He’s a really expert participant, and when he makes use of his dimension, that’s an excellent combo — it’s actually powerful to cease.”

It’s been a breakout marketing campaign for Knies, who’s confirmed promise since he broke into this Maple Leafs lineup two years in the past — within the playoffs, in opposition to these Bolts. Already sitting with a career-high 18 objectives on the marketing campaign, Monday’s efficiency additionally leaves him only a handful of his career-best level whole, too, with almost half a marketing campaign nonetheless to play.

However whereas his membership will certainly take the elevated manufacturing, it’s the general progress, the honed strategy, that’s most impressed the younger energy ahead’s mates.

“He’s taken large steps,” assessed William Nylander, who tallied Toronto’s second objective of the evening. “I imply, he’s scoring large objectives — all around the ice, in entrance, on breakaways, making nice performs. He’s grown lots, and grow to be fairly the participant.”

“I believe (it’s) his confidence,” added Auston Matthews on the most important step he’s seen Knies take this season. “He’s such a giant man and he’s acquired such an incredible skill-set. Simply the extra expertise he’s had, the higher he continues to get — and the extra comfy he feels, I believe, simply in his personal physique on the market. The extra reps you get as a line, individually, with one another, you type of construct that chemistry.

“He’s been a power for us all season lengthy.”

The person himself sees it a lot the identical means — extra reps, extra consolation, and now, extra affect.

“You recognize, the primary time I used to be right here, it was clearly an adjustment to greater and stronger gamers,” Knies stated from the locker room late Monday evening, reflecting on his early spins by way of the place. “Getting that have, and attending to play in opposition to these guys, attending to observe in opposition to a few of our gamers, it’s helped me lots.”

As has the arrival of a brand new head coach, whose hard-nosed, north-south type appears tailored for Knies’ personal heavy, relentless strategy. 

“I believe he clearly desires us to play a easy and quick recreation, and that’s type of what my recreation is to a T,” Knies stated. “I simply attempt to play for him, and study as a lot as I can from him.”

Nonetheless, there have been rising pains right here and there. And after a five-game stretch that noticed Knies’ manufacturing dip — considerably undoing the transient dominance proven over the earlier 5 — nights like these, in opposition to this explicit squad, go a great distance in bringing out his finest, too.

“It’s good,” Knies stated of the way it feels to register a 3rd straight win in opposition to these Bolts, particularly amid what’s been a rollercoaster January up to now. “I really feel like there’s just a little rivalry between us two groups — it at all times seems like just a little playoff collection after we play.

“So, it’s good for us to get that win, and preserve that confidence.”


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