Has anyone had Matthew Kneese on the ice for two big goals to help push the Maple Leafs over the Lightning in Game 3 on their bingo card? I certainly didn’t.
Jumping from college hockey to the NHL is quite an accomplishment, but the 20-year-old makes it seem like child’s play.
Whether it’s winning puck fights, setting up players to score goals, or just being positioned on the ice, Knies is playing far beyond what the Maple Leafs could have asked for when they signed him just 15 days earlier.
Kniss was on the ice to score two final goals for Toronto on Saturday — each of which were huge stands — highlighting the confidence Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keef instilled in him.
“He’s shown he’s a guy who can put on a play and be a difference-maker,” Keefe told reporters Sunday in Tampa.
“It’s one thing to have the confidence and belief in yourself that you can do plays. It’s quite another to do (those) plays.” Keefe added.
Of all the games the 20-year-old has played in the NHL, Saturday’s game was the one in which he saw the most ice. Knies was More than five minutes to five minutes (17:42) From Calle Jarnkrok, David Kampf, Alex Kerfoot, Sam Lafferty and Zach Aston-Reese.
Every moment a synagogue was coming out for a shift, it was noticeable. With that being said, the now 20-year-old – after everyone, myself included, has tried to moderate expectations – is showing that he belongs at that level. And the 20-year-old is beginning to believe that himself, too.
“I think I’m a little more mature than I thought.” Kniss told reporters Sunday, with a smile on his face.
Matthew Knes here pic.twitter.com/cWJ0b508TM
– Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 21, 2023
Right before jumping in before Game 2 when Knies was called, he answered the buzzer. Small plays provided a glimpse of what it was like could Be, in spite of the big plays? This indicates that he has arrived and is going to do whatever he can to stay in the Toronto lineup.
“I didn’t want to come here to be here,” said Kniss. “I wanted to come here to make a difference, to be an influencer.”
The 20-year-old earned his first career playoff spot The opening goal of the game 3. Although it was a quick two-play, Knies got Zach Bogosian breathing down his neck, still making a clear pass to set up Acciari for the goal.
As Game 3 went on, Knies would sometimes find himself alongside Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews, and at other moments alongside John Tavares and William Nylander. Once upon a time a dream for a 20-year-old player.
Knies stepped onto the ice late in the first overtime period with O’Reilly and Nylander – hoping for a chance at a new sensation inside Amalie Arena – and he’s got just that.
The 20-year-old played a pivotal role in Morgan Riley’s overtime win as he skated past Andrei Vasilevskiy for just a second before the puck flew towards the net. The rest was and still is history.
O’Reilly to Rielly pic.twitter.com/ovNHi9cph6
– Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 23, 2023
It was an eventful last month for Knies. But now, with the pressure of a national championship and signing with the Maple Leafs in the rearview mirror, the 20-year-old can focus on one thing: being a squad-maker for Toronto in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Kniss said, “(I want to) be there to contribute, be there to make the difference.”