'Machine' Knies is 'good to go' for Leafs in Game 7
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The Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers (optional) skated at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday.
Matthew Knies took reps in his usual spot on the left side of the Toronto Maple Leafs' top line and in front of the net on the top power play unit during Sunday's morning skate.
"He's good to go," Leafs coach Craig Berube confirmed following the workout.
After taking an awkward reverse hit from Florida Panthers defenceman Niko Mikkola on Friday, Knies played through pain during the Leafs Game 6 win and only logged 13 minutes, which was well below his playoff average of 20:11.
Berube believes he will be able to deploy the 22-year-old as he normally would in Game 7. That's a big boost for the Leafs as Knies is tied for second on the team with five goals in the playoffs.
"He's been a machine out there every night," said winger William Nylander. "Winning battles, making nice plays, putting his body on the line, he's done an incredible job battling for us all year."
"He’s a big body," said Panthers top-line centre Aleksander Barkov. "He plays the game the right way."
Toronto's top line of Knies, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner is expected to be matched up against Florida's top line in Game 7.
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Jake McCabe received stick taps for being the last player on the ice at the team's morning skate. In fairness to the defenceman, he was actually a few minutes early for the 10:30 am session.
The Leafs, apparently, were eager to get their workout going on Sunday morning.
"I always feel it's good to go out for a quick twirl and get some anxiety out and get the guys together and good energy and just touching it a little bit," Berube said. "That's all. Nothing more than that."
Not everyone feels nerves on the morning of a Game 7.
"I mean, right now I just feel like it's a regular game day," Nylander said with a smile. "So I hope it stays like that."
It likely won't.
"I mean, for sure there's some nerves and stuff," Nylander said. "I mean, that comes with Game 7 and trying to keep your season alive. But, yeah, that’s the fun of it."
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The Panthers held only an optional skate.
"I would watch probably from the airplane to this morning to get a feel for where we’re at," said coach Paul Maurice. "If I felt they needed to be really connected, I’d stuff them all on the ice."
Most of Florida's regulars opted to hit the ice on Sunday morning even though there's not a lot going on at these morning stakes.
"It was a full eight minutes," Maurice quipped.
The defending Stanley Cup champions have been preparing for this moment all season.
"Our game is built for this type of game," boasted winger Matthew Tkachuk, who stayed off the ice on Sunday morning. "We talk about it all year. We talk about it at training camp. What are you going to do to build your game for a Game 7? And we get to show that off tonight. It’s finally here."
The Panthers, who rely on a ferocious forecheck, have landed 304 hits in the series versus 239 by the Leafs.
"I just think that our game is built on wearing teams down over the course of a seven-game series and over the course of a game," Tkachuk said. "It might not show in the first five minutes, but hopefully it shows in an overtime or late in the third."
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The Leafs are 0-6 in series-deciding games since 2018, which includes five Game 7s and one Game 5 in the 2020 bubble playoffs. Four players – Matthews, Marner, Nylander and defenceman Morgan Rielly – have suited up in all of those games.
The Panthers meanwhile won Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final last year and also won a Game 7 in Boston in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.
"I was more nervous for my first one than the last couple," said Tkachuk, who is 3-0 in Game 7s in his NHL career. "If you’re going to play tentative you probably don’t belong in these games. Go out there, have fun, and try to make a difference."
Sunday will be the 13th Game 7 for Panthers winger Brad Marchand. He's been on the winning side on seven occasions, including last year in the first round against the Leafs.
"The biggest thing is it’s very easy to start thinking about outside noise and pressures and what it means, the game, your future and the fans and all that," Marchand said. "The more times you go through it you understand the little things within the game and the way you need to focus and prepare, and just how you can embrace it instead of worrying about the pressure and things that come with it and the media hype around it and all that. The more you go through it the more fun you have in them."
Marchand is 4-0 in Game 7s against the Leafs, but this will be the first one he plays in Toronto.
"It’s going to be fun," Marchand said. "You can see how excited this whole city is to be in this position and we’re right there. I mean, yeah, we’re competing, but we’re also fans of the game and these are the ones that we all love. You are going to feel the emotion. You feel it already. Even coming in the city, you could feel the fans. The hooting and hollering we had around the hotel last night and coming in, it’s fun."
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The Leafs are looking to advance to the Eastern Conference final for the first time since 2002.
"It’s probably going be some nerves from a lot people," said Tkachuk of playing in Toronto. "Nervous excitement. As a road team you just come in here and don’t have to worry about anything. You don’t have to worry about tickets. You don’t have to worry about people coming in. You just worry about playing the spoiler. That’s all we have to worry about."
The Leafs may be 0-6 in series-deciding games in this era, losing two on home ice in 2021 against the Montreal Canadiens with no fans in the stands and in 2022 against the Tampa Bay Lightning in a packed Scotiabank Arena.
"This is, I think, one of our first ones at home," said Marner. "Maybe our second. It’ll be great to hear our fanbase and I’m sure they’ll be ready for us."
The rally towels for Game 7 tell fans to, "Bring the hunger," and there's no doubt Leafs Nation is hungry for third-round hockey.
"I think it's excitement for our group playing at home here in front of our crowd, passionate crowd, passionate fans, passionate city, but don't get caught up in it," Berube said. "Okay, do what you did in Game 6. We know what to expect from Florida, and that's a great team over there. Simplify your game. Everybody's nervous a little bit. You just got to get the nerves out the first couple shifts. Get going. Just play direct. Be direct and rely on your teammates, and that's what you're playing for is your teammates."
The Panthers thumped the Leafs 6-1 in Game 5 in Toronto.
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Maurice declined to confirm his lineup but winger Evan Rodrigues, who missed the last two games due to an undisclosed injury, did not stay out at the morning skate and is expected to draw back in.
Forward Jesper Boqvist stayed out late and projects to be a healthy scratch.
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Joseph Woll will make his first career start in a Game 7. He is 4-1 with a .958 save percentage when the Leafs have faced elimination in the playoffs.
"He's got that composure kind of just in him and he’s been outstanding for us," said Rielly. "He handles himself in a great way. He has a composure about him. He's been outstanding."
Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is 2-0 with a .933 save percentage in Game 7s.
"He’s one of the best in the world," said Tkachuk. "They got an unbelievable goalie over there as well that has shown that over the course of this series as well. Both very capable guys in net that have done great things for their teams in this series so far.
"It’s a great opportunity tonight for everybody."
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Lines at Sunday's Leafs skate:
Knies - Matthews - Marner
Holmberg - Tavares -Nylander
Lorentz - Laughton - Jarnkrok
McMann - Domi - Pacioretty
Kampf, Robertson
McCabe - Tanev
Rielly - Carlo
Benoit - Ekman-Larsson
Myers, Hakanpää
Woll starts
Murray
Hildeby
Power play units at Sunday's Leafs skate:
QB: Marner
Flanks: Matthews, Nylander
Middle: Tavares
Net front: Knies
QB: Rielly
Flanks: Ekman-Larsson, Domi
Middle: McMann
Net front: Pacioretty