Knies' hat trick on Wednesday against the Lightning moved him one goal away from 30 on the year, with four regular season games remaining. Apr 9, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Matthew Knies (23) celebrates after scoring the winning goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning during overtime at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/716794af-1ae0-467a-8c54-9cb49011a3a3.jpeg] Apr 9, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Matthew Knies (23) celebrates after scoring the winning goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning during overtime at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images Matthew Knies talked the talk, and then he walked the walk with the Toronto Maple Leafs in their 4-3 overtime win against the Tampa Bay Lightning. After Tuesday night's 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers, the 22-year-old said he and the team "were soft in some areas." [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO_-av0PwoU&t=369s] For someone to call out their teammates, they'd better have a strong performance the next time they step on the ice. Knies, as he has his whole career against the Lightning, did just that. Early in the first period, Mitch Marner found Auston Matthews and his shot bounced off Andrei Vasilevskiy right to Knies, who made no mistake, putting the Maple Leafs up 2-0 over Tampa Bay. Nearly one period later, the forward got his stick on a shot that Marner threw at the net. After the puck bounced off Vasilevskiy, Knies extended himself and was able to slide the puck in for Toronto's third goal of the game. It was Knies' 28th goal of the season — a textbook tally from the 6-foot-3, 227 pound forward. "He does what he does. Around the net, scoring goals," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said on Wednesday after the win. "I mean, that's his game, and his work ethic and how strong he is as a player really came through tonight." Knies is playing with a boatload of confidence entering a crucial time in the year with four games remaining until the playoffs. You could see it all throughout the game against the Lightning, though it really shined through in overtime. While on a two-on-one with Morgan Rielly, the forward attempted, and pulled off, a between-the-legs pass to the defenseman. Although it was stopped, Matthews followed up with a nice move before spotting Knies for the hat trick goal and overtime winner. "I'm not sure I'd recommend that play. But guys try things," Berube smiled, recounting Knies going between the legs to pass the puck to Rielly. "I was just hopping on the ice, and I was having trouble believing what I was seeing in front of me," Matthews cheekily added. "Mo (Rielly) made a really nice play to me, and I was able to just catch it, and I knew he was backdoor there, and I just tried to find him as quickly as possible and not let Vasilevskiy get over." Since the 4 Nations ended, Knies has scored eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points, behind only Toronto's big four for the team lead in scoring. "He's playing with a lot of confidence, which is good. And like I said, the reason for his success is his competitiveness, in my opinion. It's really, really high-end," Berube said. "He wins battles. He skates through people all night, gets in there on the forecheck, wins battles down low, hangs onto pucks. I mean, he's a highly competitive player." It's been nearly two years since he and the University of Minnesota fell in the National Championship game in Tampa Bay's Amalie Arena. Since then, though, Knies has scored 10 goals and six assists in nine regular season games against the Lightning. He's enjoying the chance to erase the old moments in the building and create new ones. "I feel like I get this question every time I'm here," Knies said. "But just trying to replace those bad memories with good ones, and I think I did a good job with that tonight." Knies now has 29 goals and 26 assists for 55 points this season. He's hit another level this year, and it doesn't look like he's slowing down. More importantly, the Phoenix, Arizona native is providing big goals when the Maple Leafs need them most. With the win on Wednesday, the Maple Leafs move even closer to having the Battle of Ontario against the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the playoffs. "Yeah, I mean, it feels incredible just getting this win against a rival team," Knies said as Toronto moves three points ahead of the Lightning for first in the Atlantic division. "It's a good feeling in that locker room. I think we had a great effort all around, and I'm just happy for these guys." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.
