Knies has just three goals, four assists, and seven points since his return from injury on November 30.

The Toronto Maple Leafs dropped their second straight home game to the Washington Capitals, losing 5-2 on Saturday in the final regular-season meeting between the two teams.

Yet again, inconsistencies prevailed for a Maple Leafs team that recently has gone hot or cold – no in-between. Yes, the team has had a demanding schedule with plenty of back-to-backs, but that cannot be used as an excuse when failing to capitalize on chances of finding a rhythm down the stretch of the season.

One player who has struggled to find his rhythm since returning from injury is forward Matthew Knies. After missing several games due to an upper-body injury sustained on November 20 against the Vegas Golden Knights, Knies has failed to replicate the form he showed earlier in the year.

“Well, since I think he's come back, he's not quite where he was at,” said head coach Craig Berube post-game on Saturday. “The level he was at, we need to get him there. I think the effort's there and things. But there are little things that he can do better and clean up. And, you know, we've got to get him back to that level he was at before he was out.”

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In the 15 games since his return on November 30, Knies has managed just three goals, four assists, and seven points. His last goal came on December 14 against the Detroit Red Wings, and his most recent point – a lone assist – was on December 21 against the New York Islanders. Since then, Knies has gone scoreless in three consecutive games, and his struggles were evident again in Saturday’s loss to the Capitals.

Knies had found production playing a key role alongside Auston Matthews before the star forward's injury, but the pair’s chemistry has been disrupted for the time being, especially with Matthews sidelined again after re-aggravating his upper-body injury in a win over Buffalo on December 20.

While the 22-year-old’s effort isn’t in question, his own struggles to regain peak form have left him looking for answers on the scoresheet – needing to clean up the “little things” as Berube pointed out. To be specific, continuing to win puck battles, working hard around the net, and using his size to his advantage are a few.

However, there are still positives to draw from. To open the year, the Arizona native had eight goals, four assists, and 12 points in 19 games before suffering an upper-body injury. On the season, he has 19 points (11G, 8A) in 35 appearances (fifth on the team in scoring).

It’s important to remember this is just Knies’ second full season in the NHL and at 22 years old, he’s still considered a young player that needs to work through some growing pains.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIZgDwdYm7U[/embed]

For the time being, Knies' inconsistency mirrors the broader issues affecting the Leafs during this stretch. With a 4-4-1 record in games without rest days, the team has struggled to find consistency across the board.

The Leafs enjoyed a strong stretch, winning 10 of 12 games through November and into early December, but has since dropped three of their last four. While secondary scoring has shown improvement overall, the club will need him to find his rhythm.

And Berube is counting on him to do just that.

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