I only have two words. Matthew Knies.
There genuinely has to be some kind of superior force at work here. Ever since Knies lost the Frozen Four on the sheet of ice at Amalie Arena, completely unrelated to the Tampa Bay Lightning at all, he has turned into a complete and utter force against that hockey team. He entered Wednesday night’s game with seven goals and 13 points in eight games against the Lightning in his career, including setting up the goal that sent the Toronto Maple Leafs to the second round for the first time in 19 years, and if that wasn’t enough of a sample size, he scored a hat trick including the overtime winner in the latest affair.
It’s seldom I ever include highlights in here, but you simply have to watch him at work on that overtime-winner.
What a Knies ending 🧢 pic.twitter.com/vzHczVzMND
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 10, 2025
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If the sheer courage to attempt a between-the-legs pass on a 2-on-1 in overtime wasn’t impressive enough, the hat trick goal to seal the game had to have the entire fanbase on their feet. Knies entered the game with 26 goals and left it with 29 goals and 55 points in 74 games. It’s been an excellent sophomore season for the team’s 2021 second-round pick, and the sky truly seems to be the limit in regards to what his ceiling is. He’s a unicorn of a player that this team has lacked for years, and the early burst of offence in his career should have him considered among the best on the team.
He won’t get as much of the spotlight, but Anthony Stolarz deserves serious props for how clutch he came up in overtime. Three goals allowed or not, he made the saves that mattered, and that itself is all that matters in the playoffs. The biggest of his stops came on a breakaway surrendered to Brayden Point in overtime, complemented by a number of game-savers in the final minute of play.
The Maple Leafs have extended their divisional lead on Tampa Bay by three points, giving them the season sweep of the team for the first time since the 2011-12 season and increasing the odds of a Leafs-Senators first round.
They’re back in action on Saturday night when they host the red-hot Montreal Canadiens. Late regular season hockey has not mattered this much in a while, at least not for the Leafs, so enjoy the rest of the ride before the real one begins.
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