“Going to play hard on him,” Maple Leafs star Matthew Knies issues STERN warning to rival Ridly Greig for his antics in Game 1

Ottawa Senators' Ridly Greig landed some big hits on the Toronto Maple Leafs players during Game 1 of the first round Stanley Cup playoffs.

“Going to play hard on him,” Maple Leafs star Matthew Knies issues STERN warning to rival Ridly Greig for his antics in Game 1

Matthew Knies and Ridly Greig (Image via Sportsnet)

Ottawa Senators star Ridly Greig has once again become public enemy No.1 in Toronto. During Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs between the Senators and the Maple Leafs, he delivered some tough hits on his opponents. Matthew Knies would later call him out and issued a stern warning.

The Battle of Ontario between the Senators and the Maple Leafs was anticipated to be a feisty one. This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams since 2004.

During the game, Grieg got hit by William Nylander early on. The Senators star did not like this and would retaliate later on.

With the Maple Leafs leading 3-1 in the third period, Greig would cross-check John Tavares. He was initially given a 5-minute major penalty, which was later reduced to a minor.

The Maple Leafs would take advantage of this as Tavares scored later on to make it 4-1 for his team. Later in the game, Greig crashed into goaltender Anthony Stolarz.

Knies, the Maple Leafs forward, was not impressed with the antics of Ridly Greig from this game. While speaking about this on Monday, the 22-year-old expressed his frustrations regarding it and claimed that they will make it ‘hard’ for him.

It’s definitely annoying. We’re going to play hard on him & not make it easy for him the rest of the way.

Matthew Knies said as per Mark Masters

Last year in February, Greig’s action against the Maple Leafs made him one of the most hated figures in the eyes of the Maple Leafs faithful. In the ending stages of a game, he would use the slapshot technique to score an empty net goal and win the game 5-3 for the Senators.

Maple Leafs’ star Morgan Rielly would cross-check him from behind as he scored the goal. Rielly was later handed a 5-game suspension by the league for this hit.

Ex-NHL star dropped a 2-word reaction to Ridly Greig’s cross-checking incident in Game 1

The Battle of Ontario lived up to the hype in Game 1 as the Toronto Maple Leafs crushed the Ottawa Senators 6-2. One of the talking points from this game has been the actions of Ridly Greig. A former player-turned-analyst Paul Bissonnette, dropped a 2-word reaction to his cross-checking incident in Game 1.

Ridly Greig
Ridly Greig (Image via TSN)

Maple Leafs fans on social media were not pleased with the actions of Grieg in this game. The cross-check on John Tavares was initially assessed as a 5-minute penalty on the Sens star. However, it was later reduced to minor penalty, leaving the fans in uproar.

In a clip shared by Spittin Chiclets on X, Bissonnette dropped a 2-word reaction to make his feelings known regarding the situation.

Lifetime ban

Paul Bissonnette on X

Bissonnette made some more comments on X regarding the game. In one of his post, he even labeled the Senators as “scumbags” while hyping up his beloved team.

Maple Leafs coach comments on Ridly Greig’s cross-checking incident

After the Game 1 win, Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube was asked about his reaction to the Ridly Greig’s cross-checking incident with John Tavares. The 59-year-old repeatedly stated that it was not his call to make and urged the reporters to call the league.

Ridly Greig
Ridly Greig (Image via CBC)

It was later announced that there won’t be any disciplinary actions against Greig by the league. This means that he will eligible to take part in Game 2 between this two teams on Tuesday night at the Scotiabank Arena.

Speaking on this matter, Berube seemingly expressed that he did not think that the NHL Department of Player Safety (DoPS) would look into the matter.

I didn’t think they would. The league and referees will take care of that stuff.

Craig Berube told the reporters as per Maple Leaf Hot Stove

The Maple Leafs will now try to do something that they have not done in over 20 years. They will look to win Game 2 on Tuesday and establish a 2-0 lead in the series.

The previous time they went 2-0 up in a playoff series was in the 2002 against the New York Islanders. They only won home games in that series and advanced to the next round as 4-3 winners.