Leafs get 'good news' on Knies after controversial hit

The Maple Leafs held a skill development session at Ford Performance Centre on Thursday. 

Leafs winger Matthew Knies left Wednesday's game against Vegas after taking a controversial hit from Golden Knights defenceman Zach Whitecloud in the second period. 

"Not bad," coach Craig Berube said when asked how Knies was feeling. "Still being evaluated and looked at, but actually feeling okay today, which is good news."

Referees Eric Furlatt and Kendrick Nicholson initially called a major on Whitecloud, but rescinded the penalty after reviewing the play in conjunction with NHL Hockey Operations.

"I don't think it's a good call," said Leafs defenceman Simon Benoit, who immediately confronted Whitecloud after the neutral-zone check. "His feet were off the ice when he hit Kniesy right to the head, so I had to go in there and just protect my teammate. I think it was just not a good hit."

The Leafs actually ended up shorthanded as a result of the play with Benoit getting a double minor for roughing and Whitecloud only getting a minor for roughing. Toronto killed off the penalty and used the moment as motivation in what ended up being a 3-0 win. 

"It definitely sparks some energy," said goalie Joseph Woll. "Sometimes anger and those things can be used to drive you through a game."

Woll is very close with Knies and admitted to being "pretty upset" watching the 22-year-old leave the ice. Woll stopped all 31 Knights shots to record his second career NHL shutout. 

"I was pretty pissed after it," Woll said. "I tried to harness that as well as I could."

While teammates steamed, Berube understood the decision by the officials. 

"It's a hockey hit," the 58-year-old bench boss said. "It's a clean hit. I think it's a tough play. I mean, he's in a vulnerable position a little bit. The guy was [chasing] him from behind. It's a tough play. It is. But it's hockey. I mean, that's part of the game."

The Department of Player Safety issued a video on Thursday explaining why there was no call on Whitecloud. 

"Whitecloud hits through the body of Knies," the video states. "While there is inarguably head contact here, we see Knies' entire body stopped in its tracks and driven backwards simultaneously with his head in a way that indicates the body absorbed the force of this check. If we determine the head is not the main point of contact, the review ends there and the hit is considered legal within the framework of the rule."

Knies is third on the team with eight goals, including seven at even strength. The 6-foot-3, 227-pound forward has been lining up in the top six all season and was recently promoted to the top power-play unit. He also logs time on a penalty kill unit, which ranks seventh in the league. 

"He needs to get healthy," said Berube. "We need him back as quickly as possible."

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With Knies out, the Leafs are now down seven regular forwards. Auston Matthews (upper body), Max Domi (lower body), Max Pacioretty (lower body), Calle Jarnkrok (groin and sports hernia surgery) and David Kampf (lower body) are all hurt while Ryan Reaves just served the first game of a five-game suspension. 

Matthews recently returned from Germany where he met with a doctor he's worked with in the past. 

"Everything went well," Berube said. "Like, he's actually improving and in a real good spot right now going forward. So, we're very happy with that."

Matthews hasn't played since Nov. 3. He hasn't skated since Nov. 10. When will he get back on the ice?  

"I still don't know that," Berube said. "Maybe this weekend."

Matthews is set to miss an eighth straight game on Sunday when the Utah Hockey Club visits Toronto. 

Kampf, Pacioretty and Jarnkrok are all on the long term injured reserve and not available to play Sunday. Domi, though, is eligible to be activated off injured reserve, if he's ready to return.  

Domi has been dealing with a nagging issue, which finally led the team to give him a game off on Wednesday. He had been filling in as a top-six centre since Matthews left the lineup. 

In Domi's absence, it was Pontus Holmberg who moved to the middle and moved up to the second line between Knies and William Nylander. 

"He was excellent," Berube said. "It might have been his best game of the year for me. [He] skated, handled the puck in the middle of the ice, you know, was strong on the puck. I thought he was a real good player for us last night. Very happy."

Holmberg played a season high 17 minutes and 40 seconds and sealed the win with his first goal of the season into an empty net. 

Berube has mused about using Mitch Marner and Nylander at centre, but is reluctant to make that move even as the injuries pile up. 

"Willy's been taking lots of draws," the coach pointed out. "And then he plays the middle a little bit, but he has a centre with him. I still think that's really important to have a guy that has the experience and the reps at the middle of the ice. And also, you know, you put Willy or Mitch in the middle, it's a lot of work, and these guys are doing a good job with the position they're in right now."

Marner leads the Leafs with 26 points this season. Nylander, who scored on Wednesday, leads the way with 13 goals. 

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After sitting out two games as a healthy scratch, Benoit made a big impression in his return to the lineup. 

"He was excellent and more aggressive than he has been," Berube raved. "I thought he skated with the puck well and moved [well] in the offensive zone, out of the D zone. He moved his feet and made plays and advanced the puck up the ice."

Benoit landed a game-high eight hits. 

"I had a tough beginning of the season," Benoit readily admits. "Felt great last game."

What did Benoit do with his time out of the lineup? 

"I slept," he said with a smile.  

The 26-year-old became a first-time father early in training camp. 

"'Juggle' is the right word," he said. "You learn on the go. You don't have control of all your days anymore, so you just try to do the best you can with what you got. [Berube] talked to me and said, 'You just use that as a reset and rest.' And that's what I did."

Jani Hakanpää, who just returned from a knee injury, was the odd-man out on defence against Vegas. 

With so many forwards out and a healthy defence core, Berube confirmed he has considered dressing seven blueliners. 

"I used it in the past quite a bit," he said of the 11-and-seven alignment. "The seven D gets a little tricky. They get out of sync."

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The Leafs blocked 26 shots on Wednesday. Steven Lorentz led the way with four. 

"The thing that really stood out for me was the amount of blocked shots we had," Woll noted. "Especially Stevie Lorentz in the second with a few off kind of the same foot. Might owe him dinner or something."

That caught the Kitchener, Ont. native off guard. 

"Really?" Lorentz said. "He said that. Oh, nice! OK, I'm going to have to take him up on that."

Lorentz says his foot is a little swollen after the puck hit him in the spot above the skate and below the shin-pad a couple of times. 

"I was channelling my inner Timmy Brent there," he said with a big grin. "It definitely didn't feel too good, but it's always worth it when the guys come through ... it was just a good team effort all around."

Lorentz grew up a die-hard Leafs fan and the Brent reference is further evidence of the passion he has for the franchise.

Brent suited up in 79 games with the Leafs during the 2010-11 season and, like Lorentz, killed penalties while playing in the bottom six. During a home game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 3, 2011, Brent blocked three shots on the same shift while theLeafs were killing off a 5-on-3 power play. The effort earned the Cambridge, Ont. native a big ovation from the crowd. 

And Lorentz felt the love from Leafs Nation on Wednesday. 

"I could hear the crowd reaction a little bit," Lorentz said. "It's nice to see that they have my back and they recognize stuff like that. Again, those are the little things that, you know, when every guy's doing that, that's what takes you further and further into the playoffs. That's winning hockey."

Toronto is third overall in blocked shots. 

Lorentz was back on the ice on Thursday as one of the handful of regulars taking part in a skill development session. 

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All the injuries up front opened the door for a pair of rookies in centre Fraser Minten and winger Nikita Grebenkin. The pair of American Hockey League call-ups made a big impression on Wednesday night. 

Minten scored his first NHL goal in his fifth career game. The milestone moment came just six seconds into a first-period shift courtesy a sweet Nylander set-up. 

"Sometimes when you're coming off the bench on the rush, they don't really pick you up," the 20-year-old said. "I just tried to stay kind of in the quiet ice there. And I know Willy sees everything, so just was waiting for something and he made a great pass."

Minten is known for his hockey sense and that play was just another example of his high IQ. 

"He looks like a seasoned vet out there," said Lorentz. "He's so smart. He's in the right spots, and he's super comfortable in that centre position, which isn't easy to do as a young guy."

Marner handed Minten the team's player-of-the-game belt after the win. 

"It's a really special one, boys," the Vancouver native told teammates inside a jubilant dressing room. "It's a dream come true to be out there with you guys."

Minten didn't produce a point in four games with the Leafs at the start of last season before being returned to the Western Hockey League.  

Minten missed Leafs training camp this year due to a high-ankle sprain sustained at rookie camp. He made an immediate impact upon returning to game action with the Marlies on Nov. 9. He produced two goals and two assists in five American Hockey League games and added a shootout goal for good measure. 

"More assertive, felt more confident for sure," he said of his return to the NHL. "You just kind of go out there and it's a little less like awe. It's more like you can fit in and be effective and that was my goal."

Minten logged 15 minutes and 43 seconds and even got a look on the top power-play unit after Knies got hurt. 

"Minten's a very smart player," Berube said. "He's a real good two-way guy and very reliable defensively and in the right spots." 

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Despite still learning English, Grebenkin was willing to stand before the cameras both before and after his NHL debut.

"Go Leafs Go!" he said upon entering a big scrum of reporters following the game. 

How was he feeling? 

"Nice day," the 21-year-old said. "I enjoy team win. Enjoy. Thank you, general manager. Thank you Toronto Maple Leafs, give me chance. Fun day."

And, apparently, the fifth round draft pick in 2022 received some good advice from his new teammates. 

"Team speak me: backcheck, forecheck and paycheque," Grebenkin said before letting out a big laugh. 

Grebenkin's body language spoke volumes. 

"I wish I knew more of what he was saying because he's so positive and so happy all the time," Woll noted. "I think he was the first one here this morning and waltzing in all smiling."

While most players are all business when they arrive at the rink for the game, Grebenkin played to the cameras – pretending to juke around TSN photojournalist Peter Bradley – as he walked in before the game. 

"He's always smiling," Lorentz said. "It's nice to have a fresh face like that around, a young kid who's just so happy to be here. And, obviously, he can back it up through this play."  

Grebenkin led all Toronto forwards with four hits on Wednesday. He hammered Shea Theodore into the boards from behind in the first period. There was no call on the play, which left the Knights defenceman bloodied and the Vegas bench fuming. Grebenkin, who helped Magnitogorsk Metallurg win a KHL championship last season, didn't seem to mind the extra attention. If anything, he embraced it. 

"He's out there mixing it up, getting in scrums, and hitting guys," Lorentz said. "It's great to see a young guy like that."

"Grebenkin battled hard," Berube said. "He was physical. [He] did what he had to do, you know, like, strong on pucks down low, finishing checks, all the things that I thought he was going to do."

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Woll did his part between the pipes, especially in the middle stanza when the Knights outshot the Leafs 16-6. 

"He was excellent," Berube said. "In the second period they made a pretty good push there, and they had control of the play quite a bit in our zone. I thought we were a little pushed back at that time, but he came up big for us."

Woll celebrated the clean sheet with a little shoulder shimmy. 

"I have no idea," the 26-year-old said when asked what inspired the move. "I can barely remember. Just happy."

You may see it again.

"Shutout shimmy, I like it," he said with a laugh. "We'll keep it."

After missing the start of the season due to groin tightness, it appears like Woll is back in a rhythm. 

"Behind a great defensive effort, I thought I played within my system," he said. "It's tough for me to talk much about my game because sitting behind our effort was pretty special."

With the shutout, Woll's save percentage is up to .922 through six starts. 

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With Wednesday's win, the Leafs are now 6-1-0 without Matthews. Toronto is up to 12-6-2 on the season and sits in first place in the Atlantic Division entering Thursday's slate of games. 

"The guys have bought in," said Berube. "They're doing a good job."

"It took us a couple of games to adjust, for sure," Benoit said. "You know, like, just get rid of those habits, those old habits, and play in the system his way. And I think the guys are buying in and we're enjoying it right now."

The opposition is taking note. 

"They're tighter defensively in front of their net, taking care of business," Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said prior to the game. "Probably a different animal than I'm used to seeing. I've seen lots of [Berube's] teams before, so we know they're going to play hard, they're going to play together."

Vegas is fourth in goals per game this season (3.79 entering Thursday's game in Ottawa), but couldn't break down the Leafs. 

"They play a pretty hard game, especially defensively just boxing out and making it hard to get to the net with their layers," defenceman Noah Hanifin told reporters after Vegas' first shutout defeat of the season. "They work hard."

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Lines in Wednesday's game: 

McMann - Tavares - Marner
Knies - Holmberg - Nylander
Robertson - Minten - Grebenkin
Steeves - Dewar - Lorentz

McCabe - Tanev
Rielly - Ekman-Larsson
Benoit - Timmins

Woll starts
Stolarz