Maple Leafs ‘remains confident’ for Game 3 despite Matthew Knies being ruled out with concussion
Leafs forward Matthew Knies gets sidelined with a concussion while the NHL fines Sam Bennett for his questionable actions in Game 2.
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Matthew Knies [Image Credit: NHL]
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies has been ruled out of Games 3 and 4, and even further after suffering a concussion in Game 2. In the first period of Leafs’ 2-3 loss, Knies got slammed hard into the boards by Florida Panthers defenceman Sam Bennett.
Bennett’s actions enraged the whole Leafs community including the players and coach who found the action questionable. Despite Knies being out for future games, the Maple Leafs’ coach Sheldon Keefe said that he is confident in the players to pull through any adversity.
Keefe commented on how resilient the group has been even against Tampa Bay Lightning for advancing to the 2nd-round series of the Stanley Cup race. Bennett’s hit occurred at 16:23 of the first period on Thursday as FLA Live Arena went numb looking at Knies. Panthers Josh Mahura also took a hit from a high-hit puck by Leafs forward William Nylander.
Matthew Knies ruled out for two games after suffering a concussion
![Matthew Knies [Image Credit: Daily Faceoff]](https://firstsportz.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Untitled-design-12-11-1024x768.png)
On Friday, Sheldon Keefe said that Matthew Knies has been diagnosed with a concussion and is “day-to-day”. But given the current circumstances and medical reports, Knies may be very well, out for the remainder of the Stanley Cup series, “I’d say unlikely to return to the series,” according to Keefe.
Knies, who was paired with forward Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari has recorded 4 points in 1 goal and 3 assists in 7 playoff games. Keefe noted, “Matt has proven to improve the depth of our team; we believe we are a better team when he is in”, although the coach also has full confidence to go into Game 3 and 4 without the forward.
Sam Bennett has been fined $5,000 by the National Hockey League for crosschecking Michael Bunting in Game 2. While he didn’t get a call for his actions against Knies. Social media is still raging on the incident, but any further call from the league may not be heard.
Although no one is named to replace Knies yet, Keefe is said to be preparing 11 forwards and 7 defencemen for future games. Although no official statement has been made yet. “We believe we can play well and win on the road”, Keefe confidently stated. As for Panthers defenceman Josh Mahura, coach Paul Maurice said he may take on ice in the following game.
Although Knies bleed after being cut on his face, he returned to the Panthers bench shortly after. Maurice noted that Mahura took a nasty cut to his face and it’s definitive he’ll not feel “too fresh this morning,” but apart from that the team is not worried about his condition.
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Kaushani Chatterjee
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