Matthew Knies Makes Meaningful Promise to Maple Leafs Teammate Mitch Marner

At the beginning of April, Matthew Knies issued a challenge to his teammates that revolved around entering the playoffs on a winning note and with a lot of confidence.

After an effort that was called 'soft' by the Arizona native on Tuesday, the Leafs have reeled off three wins in a row, including a thriller against the Tampa Bay Lightning that included a hat trick from the former second-round pick.

With the club feeling good heading into their final two games of the regular season, the talk around the dressing room is about an individual milestone yet again. Last season it was Auston Matthews' chase for 70. This season, it is about Marner's chance to finally join the century club and hit 100 points -- something Knies promised he would do his best to help the 27-year-old Marner accomplish.

Currently sitting at 99 points after collecting five points in the last three games, Marner appears set to join a very exclusive Maple Leafs club, becoming just the fourth Maple Leaf in franchise history to reach the 100-point mark joining Auston Matthews, Darryl Sittler and Doug Gilmour.

Two seasons ago, Marner sat at 99 points before being healthy scratched at the end of the season to protect him from an injury leading in to the playoffs. As the Leafs are still looking to secure the Atlantic Division, however, it is unlikely that Marner will be scratched the final two games of the season.

For Marner, he has done his best to put all the noise behind him in a contract year and, in recent months, has seemingly incorporated a more physical and tenacious aspect to his game under Craig Berube.

Leafs Nation is hopeful that under Chief, Marner will be able to carry his regular season success into the playoffs for once and should he hit the 100-point mark, as Knies said, it would feel good heading into the NHL's unofficial second season.