"Going into the contest, the Leafs had been struggling to generate any positive momentum in the second period of games which was a far cry from their dominance in that period a season prior. Although they ended up being tied at two going into the second intermission, the Leafs had the bulk of the scoring chances and Knies got rewarded with a goal late in the frame."
""I thought we played good all around. I thought we were moving the puck really well," he said. "We were playing fast and just playing north. We got to the goaltender by the end of the game, and that's when we got our chances. So I thought we did a great job all around. I think Stoly played great in net and it was an all-team effort.""
"Knies didn't just find the back of the net to make an impact on the game, he also used his massive frame to apply heavy pressure on the forecheck to force turnovers and keep the play alive in the offensive zone. The Leafs were able to get plenty of good looks as a result and they were rewarded for it on the eventual game-winner by Max Domi, which was made possible by Knies disrupting the clearing attempt at the top of the zone."
"Knies described Domi's release as 'unreal' and noted that his two tallies came at pivotal moments when the team needed them. "We ran into each other pretty good there. Kind of locked eyes almost for a second," he said with a grin. "It was a scramble for the puck a little bit and just won the puck battle. Not sure who it was, I think it was [Jake McCabe] who got it up to us. Just made a plate of Domes and he finished it.""
The Leafs regained offensive traction despite earlier second-period struggles, generating the majority of scoring chances and capitalizing with a late Knies goal. Knies emphasized team puck movement, speed, and northward play, crediting goaltender Stoly and the full roster for the result. Knies combined physical forechecking and puck battles to force turnovers and sustain offensive zone pressure, directly enabling Max Domi's game-winning finish by disrupting a clearing attempt. Domi's shot was described as unreal, and Knies highlighted the timely nature of his contributions while continuing to be effective on different line combinations.
Read at TheLeafsNation
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