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4 hours ago
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Few would argue that the Toronto Maple Leafs’ best chance of eliminating the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of their second-round playoff series is with a healthy lineup.
Unfortunately, the team is already down starting goaltender Anthony Stolarz, who hasn’t played since the second period of Game 1 after taking an elbow to the head from Panthers forward Sam Bennett.
Now, the team may be without one of its top offensive standouts after forward Matthew Knies, who skates on the team’s top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, after the 22-year-old took a hard hit from hulking 6-foot-6 Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola in Friday’s 2-0 Game 6 win.
Though he played in the second and third periods, it was clear Knies wasn’t 100%. He finished with 13:01 of ice time, significantly less than his line-mates (Marner logged 21:20 of ice time and Matthews 18:41.)
And when head coach Craig Berube was asked about Knies’ status for Game 7, he gave a concerning update on the 58-point winger, stating he wasn’t sure if Knies will be good to go by Saturday.
“We don’t know right now,” Berube told reporters. “I wouldn’t know (the answer) to that question right now. He’s dealing with something here that happened. And we’ve got to look at him and see how he’s feeling tomorrow.”
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies (23) celebrates his goal against Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) during the third period of Game 1.
John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Knies was not made available to reporters after the game, but The Athletic reported he wasn’t seen wearing any sort of cast or brace, and there were “no other signs of serious medical treatment.”
No details about Knies’ injury were made public, but he could be seen favoring his left side after the collision with Mikkola. Some have speculated he could have a broken rib, while others believe he actually injured his shoulder.
It’s likely a more detailed update on Knies’ condition will be made sometime Saturday morning.
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