Matthew Knies has come alive after breaking out of a big scoring drought. Can the Leafs forward continue to produce offensively on the top line? Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Artur Akhtyamov started the Toronto Marlies' game on Wednesday against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins but couldn't finish it. The 23-year-old netminder exited the game with 1:33 left in the first period. What caused Akhtyamov to exit the ice in the opening frame is unknown. He needed assistance up the stairs and down to Toronto's dressing room. "I don't have anything. It's just lower-body, day-to-day," Marlies head coach John Gruden said post-game. "Haven't got any updates on his condition." Gruden admitted that he also didn't see what happened to the goaltender. Akhtyamov skated gingerly to the bench after making a save on the Penguins' Ville Koivunen. "I didn't see anything that happened," Toronto's head coach said. "Hopefully he's okay." Akhtyamov has been one of the Marlies' best goaltenders this season. With Matt Murray and Dennis Hildeby going up and down between the Maple Leafs and Marlies, the rookie goaltender has gotten consistent starts in the AHL. The Kazan, Russia-born netminder has nine wins and a .897 save percentage through 15 games this season with Toronto. His nine wins are the most among Marlies goaltenders. "You don't want to see anyone get hurt. Doesn't matter who it is. But I think with him, he's been a staple for our team. He's played very well, so it's tough to see him leave the game like that," Marlies captain Logan Shaw said after the 6-3 loss. "And again, it's tough on [Murray] to come into the game like that and try to battle. He played hard. He made some big saves. Our goalie department all year has been very strong for us, but I hope Artie's alright." Murray came in for Akhtyamov and stopped 13 of 15 shots. Maple Leafs prospects Nikita Grebenkin, Jacob Quillan, and Fraser Minten scored for Toronto, but couldn't find the back of the net on five power play opportunities. "We had a couple chances to score. We weren't able to capitalize and then they get a chance on the power play and they made us pay," Gruden said. "A lot of the game, I really liked. I thought guys did a lot of good things. We scored some goals. A positive. But we gave too much too. We gotta look at [the loss] and we just, at the end of the day, we just have to be better. We have to be more dug in and we're going to expect guys to 100 percent bring their 'A' game next time." The Marlies have yet to win a game in 2025. Their loss to the Penguins was the fourth straight in the new year. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNjM5NDEwNTc4NDM0MDI0/googlenews.svg] Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwytvfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
