Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies raised some eyebrows when he called out his team for "soft" play after a 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.
“We tried to push back, but I think we didn’t do a good enough job. I think our physicality… we were a little bit soft in some areas and not (pushing) through the full 60. So, we’re gonna have to learn to do that when it comes to playoff time,” Knies told reporters.
In his second NHL season, Knies, 22, is blossoming into a long-term cornerstone playing alongside franchise stars Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner on the top line. He ranks fifth on the Leafs with 55 points.
Knies' assessment of an effort in which the Leafs were outshot 37-18 and were dominated in the face-off circle was honest, but it also became a self assignment he would need to complete on his own.
And that he did on Wednesday.
In Toronto's 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, Knies became the first player to complete in Maple Leafs history since Mats Sundin in 2006.
He showed off his craftsmanship on a 2-on-1 with a nifty pass between his legs to Morgan Rielly that would end up coming back to him to finish.
“I was just hopping on the ice, and I was having trouble believing what I was seeing in front of me,” Matthews said of the goal.
Matthews, Knies and Marner all collected three points in a bounce-back effort that answered Knies' "soft" criticism.
“We brought a lot of energy the first five minutes,” Knies said to Sportsnet, “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.”
