The Toronto Maple Leafs have been short-staffed lately. However, their luck might’ve gotten worse with Matthew Knies exiting the game. Knies was on the wrong end of a heavy hit in the second period by Zach Whitecloud of the Vegas Golden Knights. In the play, there seemed to be some contact with the head. Knies was noticeably shaken up and got to his feet slowly. There was no call for the hit, which sparked some words from Toronto’s head coach Craig Berube.
However, there were a few penalties called away from the hit. Simon Benoit went after Whitecloud for the hit, which resulted in off-setting roughing penalties. Also, the Leafs received an extra penalty for retaliation which was also labelled as roughing. Alex Steeves served the extra Benoit minor. The Golden Knights weren’t able to capitalize on that power play, they were down 1-0 at the time.
Zach Whitecloud catches Matthew Knies
head contact there
Knies went to the dressing room pic.twitter.com/L0E07O573X
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) November 21, 2024
Knies Goes to the Dressing Room
As mentioned, the Maple Leafs have been undermanned over the last little while. Heading into Wednesday’s game against Vegas, Toronto made two call-ups from the AHL Marlies. The Leafs recalled Nikita Grebenkin and Fraser Minten. This is because Toronto is currently missing six forwards. Five are out with injuries and one is suspended. Leafs captain Auston Matthews is among those missing players. Therefore, Toronto is desperate for its players to stay healthy, and to step up. Although, Minten scored the opening goal of the game, which happened to be his first NHL goal.
General manager Brad Treliving and Berube will be crossing their fingers that Knies isn’t seriously hurt. After a tough, gruelling game, the Maple Leafs stood tall against the 2023 Stanley Cup champions. A total team effort on both sides of the ice and a stellar performance from goaltender Joseph Woll who recorded his first shutout of the season. The Leafs now top the Atlantic Division for the time being.
Main Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
