» LEAF NOTES: Matthew Knies turns it up another level for playoffs

Article content

All season, Matthew Knies has been in corner skirmishes, fenced foes in front of the net, even been in a fight.

Article content

Article content

Article content

But Sunday’s Game 1? Now, that was a battle. The Battle of Ontario to be exact and the most satisfying home playoff result for the 22-year-old left winger. He blocked a couple of Ottawa cannons, but came off the bench from deep pain in his arm to score a third-period insurance power play goal, using his nose for the net.

“Kind of what you have to do at this time of year, pay the price,” said Knies, appearing in his 15th career post-season game. “But I feel good now. I felt rewarded (to score) for sure.”

Knies played the most of any forward on Sunday, 22:29, and has known at least one prior big spring moment, assisting on John Tavares’s overtime goal in Tampa Bay to eliminate the Lightning in 2023. But the Leafs have since lost their next two series to more playoff-ready clubs. That’s what Craig Berube was hired to fix here.
“There’s a little bit of different feel to it,” Knies said. “Could be the new coach, could be the new faces in the locker room. I think we’re ready for the test, but (Sunday) was just one win. We have to keep this momentum going. We don’t expect this to be a short series.”

Article content

Article content

STRIPES UNDER STRESS

It could be a long best-of-seven for the referees and linesmen. After a quiet first period, all 22 minors and 56 total penalty minutes came in the final 36 minutes.

The Leafs were content to let Ottawa cross the behavioural line into damaging penalties, but Berube didn’t get the five-minute cross-checking major initially called against the Sens’ Ridly Greig on Tavares (it was eventually reduced to two). The Leafs’ griped again when Greig skidded into goalie Anthony Stolarz, one of those accidentally-on-purpose moves that a disruptor such as Greig is adept at.

“I thought he got John pretty good in the head, but you have to trust they make the right decision,” Knies said, though the league took no further action Monday on the cross check. “(With Greig), it’s definitely annoying. We have to play hard on him and not make it easy the rest of the way.”

Article content

With 44 seconds to play, referees Garrett Rank and Brian Pochmara needed pen and paper to track and read out the numbers of nine players on both teams booted for roughing-related minors.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Play Video

“That stuff (Greig on Stolarz) is going to happen, it’s playoff hockey and you’ve got to be disciplined,” Berube said. “The league, the referees, they’ll take care of it, that’s their job.”

Berube confirmed that NHL series supervisor Dan O’Halloran met both coaches and general managers before the series, a chat usually to give a heads-up what’s going to be called tighter in playoffs.

“They’re great. You can talk to them any time. They’re watching, they understand, they’re doing the best they can to monitor all that stuff.

“It can be difficult, it’s human nature,” the coach added of the urge to retaliate. “(His team) did a good job for the most part.

Article content

“We have to keep playing hard between the whistles, keep being physical, make it difficult for them. In the end, you’re not really going to help the team (going rogue). We’ll deal with those things as we go along.”

WELCOME HOME

Sunday night was why Scott Laughton wanted to come home, to set up the series opening goal that triggered 19,072 towel waving fans to full decibels.

“I hadn’t felt that nervousness and atmosphere in a while,” said the Oakville native of his role in Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s goal. “I tried to slash the zone to give (Calle) Jarnkrok some room, he made a good play to me and Oliver kind of came out of nowhere. I had patience and found him. It was special. At this point in my career, I wanted playoff hockey again to have a chance.”

Article content

Usually among the last to come on the ice for warm-up in his years as a Philadelphia Flyer, Laughton has now worked his way to front of the Leaf line.

“I want to be among the first out so you can hear the roar in the tunnel, which is really cool. You want that, the little pit in your stomach all day so you’re ready to go.”

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Play Video

LOOSE LEAFS

To wrap up our earlier story on the revival of the Molson Cup, the 2024-25 winner is Mitch Marner for the points accrued in three star selections … The Leafs didn’t spare the star power in Game 1. Doug Gilmour presented the Canadian Armed Forces sweater, Battle of Ontario veteran Darcy Tucker greeted the crowd and Rick Vaive gave personalized Leaf sweaters to three long-serving staff members who began work in the Maple Leaf Gardens era. They included event level security supervisor Celeste D’Agostino, who began 50 years ago as an usherette, June Hogan who started in concessions and Craig Palfrey a 51-year veteran usher who now works the visitors’ dressing room.

Lhornby@postmedia.com
X: @sunhornby

Article content