TORONTO — “He’s good to go,” Craig Berube said on the morning of Game 7.
And with that, Leafs Nation exhaled.
Matthew Knies will play, albeit hurt, with the Toronto Maple Leafs’ season hanging in the balance Sunday, because hockey.
“You’re not injured because you’re playing. You’re banged up. You’re hurt. And there’s a lot of that. There’s a lot of lot of teams and a lot of players (hurt),” Berube went on. (Sidebar: Imagine telling that coach you’d rather rest?)
“This time of year, you play through it, right? It’s too important not to.”
Knies missed some shifts but finished Game 6 in obvious pain after absorbing a reverse hit from rugged Panthers defenceman Niko Mikkola in Period 1.
The power forward appeared to be mouthing, “I can’t even move it,” while talking with head athletic therapist Paul Ayotte at the bench. The 22-year-old got bumped off the top power-play unit for a spell and clocked only 13 minutes of ice time, well below his playoff average (20:11).
(Knies has not been made available to speak since the hit.)
The top-line left wing is tied for second on the Leafs with five goals — including a beautiful winner in Game 1 — and contributes to both special teams.
“He touches every part of the game, that’s for sure, and scored some big goals for us,” Berube said. “He’s been a very good player in the playoffs.”
Beyond Knies, the left side is not a strength of Toronto’s.
While Max Pacioretty has been incredibly clutch and is tied, with William Nylander, for the series scoring lead (six points), the hard-checking veteran is averaging just 12:58 per game.
Pontus Holmberg and Bobby McMann are both still searching for their first career playoff goal.
Replacing all the elements that a healthy Knies brings is not possible. So, Berube will lean on Knies as much as possible now that it’s do-or-die.
“He’s grown every day. Like you guys say, he’s a beast out there,” marvels Oliver Ekman-Larsson. “We’re lucky to have him.”
Even at — what — 70 per cent health?
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7 Game 7 Stats
• The Maple Leafs’ run of six consecutive Game 7 defeats is tied with Ottawa (0-6) for the second-longest stretch in NHL history behind Colorado (0-7). All three runs are active. (The Leafs also lost a 2020 winner-take-all Game 5 to Columbus during this skid.)
• The team that scores first is 150-50 (.750) in the NHL’s 200 all-time Game 7s — but 0-2 in 2025.
• Brad Marchand will appear in his 13th Game 7, the most among active players and tied for third all-time alongside Patrick Roy and Scott Stevens. Only Marchand’s former teammates, Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara (14 each), have played in more. Marchand (7-5) can tie Ryan McDonagh (8-2) for the NHL record for career Game 7 wins by a player.
• The Panthers will wage a Game 7 for the third straight year and fifth time overall (3-1). Florida is 2-0 on the road in Game 7s (2023 at Boston, 1996 at Pittsburgh).
• Both head coaches have won a Stanley Cup Final Game 7. Maurice (5-0) is one of just two coaches in NHL history to win each of his first five career Game 7s. The other one, Dallas’s Peter DeBoer (9-0), advanced to the conference final with help from a Game 7 win over Colorado in Round 1.
• Forty-one players between the two clubs have played in a Game 7 (Toronto 23, Florida 18), making 113 total appearances (Toronto 64, Florida 49). Florida’s roster features 13 players who helped them win Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
• Home teams own a 118-82 (.590) edge in the NHL’s 200 all-time Game 7s and are 2-0 in 2025.
Killers go to war
Facing one of the league’s sharpest and most aggressive penalty kills, the Maple Leafs’ five-forward power-play has not scored on its past three games or nine attempts, marking its longest drought of the post-season.
Meanwhile, Toronto’s own PK has killed five straight penalties, none more critical than the two early in Game 6 that set the tone for a defensive masterpiece.
“We did a good job killing. We were aggressive again. It goes to our 5-on-5 play,” Berube said. “We were aggressive. On our toes, blocking shots, good sticks, all that stuff.”
“You build momentum off those situations,” notes Scott Laughton.
Or, in Florida’s case, lose momentum.
“What you saw from our team 5-on-5 was also true 5-on-4,” Maurice lamented of getting shut out at home. “We were late getting it off our stick or looking for something maybe slightly better. They did a good job of it, for sure. I mean, our entries are usually a little cleaner, because we got hung up on the line quite a bit.
“But they were good. We got to be better.”
Think about how Jets-Stars ended Saturday. This game could well come down to executing on the kill.
One-Timers: McMann’s career-long goal drought has reached 23 games. He did, however, set up Pacioretty’s Game 6 strike: “You feel good about contributing. You feel good to be a part of it, be a part of a big goal like that.”… Laughton on Berube, who celebrated his first anniversary as Leafs coach Saturday: “He trusts you.”…
Maple Leafs Game 7 lineup vs. Florida Panthers:
Knies – Matthews – Marner
Holmberg – Tavares – Nylander
McMann – Domi – Pacioretty
Lorentz – Laughton – Järnkrok
Rielly – Carlo
McCabe – Tanev
Benoit – Ekman-Larsson
Woll starts
Murray
