As always, these games are difficult to evaluate; played at the beginning of the hockey schedule, it's a group of young players who have never played together facing opposition who have also never played together, leading to some chaos and a lack of structure. With that caveat out of the way, here are some of my impressions from the weekend:
I was actually with my buddies on a trip. I am getting married in two weeks. It was a good feeling. I was shocked a little bit at first, but I kind of learned about it a couple of days ago.
Despite being a depth player, Lorentz's contributions, including strong penalty killing and offensive output, made him a valuable asset for the Maple Leafs this season.
Knies, who plays alongside star forwards Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, and occupies the net-front spot on the top power-play unit, has five goals and two assists in 12 post-season contests this spring.
The Maple Leafs are struggling despite a series lead, with top players underperforming and a once-effective power play becoming a significant liability.
