Several reports Friday morning said Matthew Kneese has been diagnosed with a concussion and will almost certainly miss Games 3 and 4, according to Sheldon Cave. It is “unlikely to return in the series.” Toronto Maple Leafs head coach reports.
Kniss sustained a concussion in Game 2 of the team’s second round series against the Florida Panthers when he was hit on the ice by Sam Bennett during a mix-up behind the net. Bennett was not awarded a penalty on the play and received no additional penalty for the play. However, he was fined $5,000 for double-checking Michael Bunting.
This is a huge loss for the Maple Leafs who are now down 0-2 in their best-of-seven series against the Panthers. Knies scored a remarkable goal in Game 2 and had four points in the team’s first six playoff games. As for who will join the Maple Leafs’ lineup as Knies waste time, that hasn’t been decided yet. Some are wondering if Wayne Simmonds will take the call and if Symonds has some things to say to Bennett.
The Panthers were under the impression that Bennett’s hitting was not as ferocious. Matthew Tkachuk laughed at the idea that the NHL would look into it and Bennett himself said the two were just caught. At least the rest of the Leafs couldn’t understand how a penalty wasn’t counted at least on the play.
“We would have loved to have seen a penalty kick on it,” said Ryan O’Reilly. “I didn’t like it, of course,” John Tavares, captain of the Lives, said of the play.