Matthew Knies Has Harsh Words For Leafs Teammates Following Loss to Panthers
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies had some harsh words for his teammates following the club's missed opportunity to defeat the Florida Panthers and clinch home ice.
Last week, Matthew Knies issued a challenge to himself and his teammates heading into the home stretch of the regular season by asking them to feel good and carry the momentum they were building into the post-season.
After defeating the Panthers 3-2 last week, on Tuesday night, we saw a much different Florida roster as they welcomed back three key players from injury, including captain Aleksander Barkov.
Those additions clearly made quite the difference as the Leafs fell 3-1 to the defending Stanley Cup Champions, which prompted Knies to call out his team's sloppiness and soft effort following the game.
"Our forecheck wasn't good enough. We were a little sloppy in that sense. We let them break out a little bit too easily. I think we didn't get enough shots to their net or make it hard enough on them in front of their net.
That was the difference. We tried to push back, but I think we didn't do do a good enough job. I think our physicality... I think we were a little bit soft in some areas."
That was the difference. We tried to push back, but I think we didn't do do a good enough job. I think our physicality... I think we were a little bit soft in some areas."
The Arizona native has tossed any notion of a sophomore slump aside this season, riding shotgun with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner and tallying 26 goals and 52 points through 73 games.
It will be interesting to see how the Leafs react to Knies' comments as they are right back in action on Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning with another opportunity to lock up home-ice advantage for the first round.
If they wish to win the division, this one is a must-win game with Tampa Bay nipping at their heels, just 2 points back in the standings with 5 games remaining on the schedule, including tonight's season series finale.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 9 | 2169 ANSWERS Matthew Knies Has Harsh Words For Leafs Teammates Following Loss to Panthers Do you think Matthew Knies is overstepping calling out his teammates twice in a week? | ||
| Yes | 316 | 14.6 % |
| No | 1363 | 62.8 % |
| Someone has to do it | 490 | 22.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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