Matthew Knies Top Plays 2025-26 | Toronto Maple Leafs

Bobby McMahon back on it. At the point, McCabe will send it in. Matthews will see it now move it slightly. Comfort for Detroit in a tough area. McMahon now goes to work. He'll kick it to his stick. Bobby McMahon out in front! And they score! Matthew Knives with the tap-in. Set up beautifully by Bobby McMahon. And Toronto's on the board. Hunts to maintain possession. McMahon came off the bench. I mean, he was the only fresh guy here. But pulling pucks off the wall, one of the most difficult things to do. You see the Leafs continue to keep it alive. That's McMahon going low. A breakdown happens. And how about that for me? You just put your stick on the ice. Sometimes you don't even get a hold of it. But just labeled perfectly for McMahon. And watch his work on the wall right here. When he got two bodies in one area, especially a defenseman down the wall. That's been a low foul. Let's go wide. St. Louis and Vancouver out west later on tonight. It's 7.30. Eastern start now. Along the boards. It's cut off by Knives. Knives will take it deeper out of the corner. Sandin Pelican. And what a cross! And the right time! And this game is tied! But watch this stick from Austin Matthews. Sandin Pelican coming out of the zone just a little. Subtle tap. That's enough for the young defenseman not to get the puck out. And sometimes that creates nothing. Other times it ends up in the back of the net. I talked about off the wall. It's where the Leafs get to generate their offense. Off the wall. And what a pass by Matthews. Knives as he takes contact. Down to one knee. How does he see him there? Through J.T. Comfort in the middle. And what a finish. A healthy Kelly Yarncroft. What's that? Matthews skates away from him. Matthews in with Knives. Matthews walks right in. Feeds across for Knives. For Matthews. Score! Oh, what a goal! The Leafs lead 5-2. That was sweet. Mitchell's own play. Turns it over. And Cowan scoops up. Matthews wants his first pass. Goes across. It was a thousand percent guarantee that Matthew Knives was on track. Positioning, transition game. And then still plays. And the captain finishes for his first pass to goaltender. He had that same chance against Cam Talbot last game. Knee-lander. Back out. Shoots. Score! Knives got a stick on that on the side of the goal. It's a power play goal. The Leafs lead 1-0. The roll continues for Matthew Knives. We'll be 23 tomorrow. The first power play goal of the year. And the theme continues. This is not a shot to score. This is a shot to a pass. Morgan's down there. But when you... Jeff O'Neill smiling. When you got the two big guys in front, Tavares, Knee-lander, Matthews, they're so strong on their sticks. You could just put it down there and let it bounce around. And that's off the blocker, I think, of Shostyorkin, into the knees of Knives and into the back of the net, both of the scoring. And back the other way goes Quinn. And Thompson. Jack Quinn. And the pass, look it up. Power overskates the puck. As he had a clear break. Now the other way. It's a breakaway. John Tavares! With a heads-up play. No panic. Good acceleration. And just a look at Risner up and over the blocker side. Look at Tavares take a quick peek. And he beats Lukin into that short side up and over. A point back to great defensive play. A good read by Matthew Knives. And in all alone. And James Thompson has been on the ice 51 seconds. And he couldn't catch John Tavares. So what a way from .500. But tonight he celebrates his 19th career overtime goal. Thinks he's a goal scorer. First round pick of Philadelphia back in 2018. Back with his pocket pick. Fight of the steal. Knives. Beneficiary of the good hard forecheck with a seal from Nylander. And then the retrieval right here. Backlands. He's got a step, but Nylander pulls it right off his stick. And then Justin Wolfe can't go laterally that far. Michael Backlands. He's done good. Except for that quick feet and quick stick of Nylander. Turns it over. And Knives ties it up. The draw. Here's Anderson. That clear gets knocked down by Matthews. Walks it and shoots. Wolfe's save. Rebound. Loose in front. Tavares at the top of the goal. Matthews pokes it back in front. Rebounds. It's a power play. 3-2. Knocked it out. Quick hand by Matthews. And then the scramble is on. Anderson goes flying around. Tavares takes a couple of swipes at it. Matthews keeps it alive. And that's an easy one. Justin Wolfe is below the goal line. Puts it back out for him to shovel in the net before anyone gets there. Anderson almost gets a piece. And so the power play comes through. The offensive zone penalty drawn by Michelli. He chips it back down to the Toronto zone. He just won two of three last year for Carolina. Won the last two meetings. It's Nye. Centers for Nylander. And the low. Nylander scores. Nye finds Nylander. He buries it to make it 1-0, ladies. From behind their own net. This is Nylander. Streaking. Trying to get in front of Mike Riley who's up ice. As long as Matthew Nye can pull that and get it out. It's a space. If it all works well, Nylander could be it alone. That's a tiny little move on Busse. Who's standing still. And Nylander goes right by him. And Gordon, I'm not going to lie to you. I think this was a set breakout because the coaching staff. Carlson. Trying to feed that back across. Picked off by Matthews. Ahead to Nye. Two on one. Short-handed. Matthew Nye. Back to Matthews. Shoots. And the stop is made. Point blank by Thompson. Matthews back with it. Sidesteps that check. And Ovechkin feeds Nye. Shoots. Scores. Matthew Nye. Short-handed goal. And a great setup from Austin Matthews. And the Leafs lead 2-0. Just ended. Still with four forwards out there. And great first look. Matthews tries to go five-hole. And then Ovechkin takes a massive run in the corner at Austin Matthews. He misses. And then no one retreats back to the high slot. There's three Capitals below Matthew Nye. Nice. Not a great effort here by Alex Ovechkin. But one of McMichael, Bovillier, Carlson's got to slide. None do when Matthew Nye. Oh. Back to Goss. There's a little long wrist shot. Hit the skate of Riley. And Nye spooks it free. In behind Goss. It's there. Nye's works it. Back in. Shot. Scores. What a goal by Matthew Nye. A pure display of power. And the Leafs are back up by two. Wow. He's late in the shifts here. He gets the poke on Goss. But you think, okay, you know, when he stumbles, and still able to get up, throws off like he's a U16 player. Get out of here. And then goes back in and flips it up and in on Freddie Anderson. That is – that's a goal that not many players can score. Morgan Riley in behind the net for Nye. Comes loose for Matthews. Looking for Doby in the slot. Hooks it back into the corner. Loose puck. Matthews on it. In front. And a stop there. Another change. Scores. Oliver Ekman-Larsen. 2-1 Toronto. What a great example of you had that long stoppage of play so that the Edmonton Oilers weren't able to change. And you had both defensemen, Regula and Nurse, are over a minute 10 on this shift. And it showed. They're standing still. Look at the puck retrieval. Took hands there by Nye to get it right back to Oliver Ekman-Larsen. Just eyes on the puck and a perfectly placed shot. You know, amazingly that Ekman-Larsen is even playing, if you watch that. Around it goes to Nick Waugh. Second unit on here in the late stages. A broken stick here for Ottawa. Let's see if Max Doby can take advantage. Doby sizes things up. Nye scores. Power play goal. Number two for the Leafs. And Matthew Nyes has booked a slump. Stationary for as they tried to sort it all out. And what do you do? You take advantage of it. Look at this gap there on that little saucer pass. And Matthew Nyes, you talk about one guy. We said Nylander booked an 11-game slump the last game before Christmas. There's a nine-game slump for Matthew Nyes. Couldn't happen at a better time for him. There's that bumper position. Time to go. 7-28. Nyes across and the Leafs reinvade the Ottawa zone. Waugh taken to the board. Sanderson around for Jensen. Skipped into the line. That's sent to the front of the net. And they score again. Nick Anderson. Another Leaf puts a slump. It's the goal. But just the problem of sloppy play in the D zone. Turnovers on a wraparound. And watch Matthew Nyes through his legs. That puck never gets to the goaltender in the first place. As Oliver Ekman-Larsen gets it there off his stick. And off of it again between the legs. Right onto the tape. After it got past him. And Myers and Michelli the other way with Nyes. And Riley steps up. Here's Morgan Riley working his way in. Riley centers. Nyes in. Scores. Nyes plays it on repeat. And it's 6-4 Toronto. Gotta have the confidence to make a play. A back pass to Morgan Riley who jumps it to the outside. Creates this play and then right through the slot. And how about a little confidence. Came into this game without a goal in nine. Stays onside. Drives to the lane. Stays out of traffic. And just great hands and patience there. And the bumper is Nyes. Here's Matthias Michelli. Dropping it off. And that just went wide. Navarez missed. And another one in. From the slot. And the Leafs strike first. Well what you saw there was a determination to A, get the puck to the net. Quick puck movement. Some rotation of bodies. This was a little nervous play at the line. But Matthias again just gets it in. Comes and supports. And how about that little outlet pass. Kopp knows that he's in trouble because he doesn't have body position. Tries to get in on Nyes. Matthias with a quick little bump back. Takes the one defenseman away from the front. Talbot's on his knee. Win time. But Chris just keeps looking at the standings each and every day. And the halfway point is on Saturday in the island. You've got to find a way to get points out of this game. Here's maybe a chance for Michelli. Scores! A link to tie the game. Michelli. The board play that plagued the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first period. And then at times in the second. Gives them the chance here. Great job around the board. Pinching at the line. Keeping it in. A no look pass by Nyes. And how about that shot. On the offside. Quick little swing. Whether he gave a yell or not. But look at how quick the release is. Here's Anton Lundell. Back for Ekblad. That bounced off his boot. And away go the Leafs. Michelli will fire it in. Looking for that. Back in front. Loose there. Ekblad couldn't find it. It'll be played to Stetzer. Scores! Tipped in front. And the Leafs have a 2-0 lead. A dump into an area. Good defensive play here. Off of the turnover. Nowhere to go. Dump it in and get it back. It comes right back to the middle. Into the crease. One little chip. And a smart play by John Tabars. He gets pressured off. And there's Matthew Nyes in the right spot at the right time. He started behind the net. Get to that high slot. And a good hand there. Tips it back towards the... Send it back into the Florida zone. I think Michelli was trying to go to Nyes there. And Stetzer jumped right in on it. As Nyes didn't see it. Oh, boy. Took a hard hit there in the corner, too. In from Mikula. Coming over in front. Nyes. Powers his way. Back in front. What a goal! Austin Matthews from Matthew Nyes. Matthews. He's coming on after this end of the shift. Tabars makes a change. Matthews gets involved. Michelli keeps it alive. But how about the individual effort? Just Nyes simply will not be knocked off that puck. Lifts the stick of Mikula. Quick little turnaround. And look at the reaction of Matthews. There's two tonight. Knocks that back into the Leafs zone. But it's swatted back out. Lorenz finds Nyes. In comes Nyes. Back across. Scores! Nyes to Lutton. And the Leafs are back up by two. A huge goal here for the Leafs in the third period. What a dish. Come for him. But this is where Toronto's better at defense. Turning pucks over. Quick counters. And the bouncer eats up the Vegas defenseman, Hutton. And that's a nice pass from Nyes. Holds it out there like he might shoot it. Gets the defenseman down. Goes right through him. And gets it under the glove for Scottie Lutton. That's a massive goal for Toronto. Every time Vegas has pushed to get within one. Matthews moves it between the wickets of Nyes. Goes there again. That time sent across by Nick Robertson. Austin Matthews. Goal line. Matthew Nyes. To the slot. Scores! That's hockey, baby. What a setup. A much needed power play. Goals up by 36 left in the first period. Toronto. That is a confident-looking power play right here. And they're just kind of playing free and taking the options they have. Nyes, a left-handed shot down the goal line. Two options here. Michelli down low. But he takes. He's looking down at Michelli at the goal line. And he goes up to Tavares. And what a play there. And Gustafson looks like he was. Onside by McLeod. Drops it behind. Locked for Zuckerman. Fouls off his stick. Michelli. Puts it in for Tavares. Counts Matias Michelli. Drops it back to McCabe. Walking in. McCabe shoots. Off escape. Michelli sends it back in front. Score! Matthew Nyes. Flips over the puck. On the rebound. The Leafs have grabbed the lead. Matthew Nyes has his first goal in 11 games. So did his team. Another flipper that they keep alive. Michelli filling underneath. And good job by Jake McCabe. Getting it down to the net. Banging around. And there's Matthew Nyes. Nobody ties up his stick. Quinn is engaged with Tavares. Nobody engaged on Nyes' stick. And first two at the poke at home on Lukanen. The Leafs have the lead. Now hang on. The Sabres are talking here on their bench. And that's going to be official for a moment. Of the season for an Oiler Blue Liner. The 11-11 title. Oh, great guys! Seven seconds later. The Leafs restore the lead. How do you get this in just seven seconds? A dump in. Simple plays. We've seen so many times from behind. Ingram can't make the pass through. And we're giving going right down the gut. Szymanski needs going. Back one way. Nyes gets inside there. And that's a tough play for Szymanski. Because he's thinking they've got complete control. But in the end, it's Tavares' goal answered very quickly. By a point second of the game. Nyes in. Scores! Tom Basilewski leading. As he anticipated a pass. That is 4-2. He can't really get much going offensively. And then suddenly, bang. A nice little drop back. And this is one that I think Basilewski can't believe he got through. Look at Nyes just getting pressured. So, throws it in. And right over the stick under the pad is clearly Basilewski fooled by that one. John Tavares took him in hard as wool. Steered that away. Back in by Nylander. Pacelli. Rink wide for Nyes. Looks back in front. Nylander scores! Nylander with the tap in. Another power play goal. Leaves you back on top. Five-minute major. Results in two goals. Good job by Nylander. Zone entry. Ladder play. Get it to the middle. All the way across. And Tavares' stick. It hits Lacombe's glove. And ends up no chance for the stall. He's reacted to the first pass. Bounces it back to Lorai. For a right goal. That pass was blocked by Reilly. Reilly's got to flip that back. Nyes got a stick on it. Lorai's got it. Nyes kicks it free. Nyes shorthanded scores! What a play by Matthew Nyes. A shorthanded goal ties the game in one. Brute force. Catching the puck and then just shrugging Mason Lorai. Get off of me, he says. Lorai 6'4". And a big guy of his own. 2'10". Look at the ground close. And then the battle won. And you do all that. Then you got to go in on a breakaway. And he goes backhand. Clean win there for John Tavares. And now Matthew Nyes. Nylander. Now in trying to establish position in front. Nyes will fire. Scores! Matthew Nyes! They get one. They're within one. What a power play goal. Wow, what a shot that was. Excellent job of coming and getting into the eyes of the goaltender. Down low for a bumper and then gets right to the front. And enough of the body there that for Matthew Nyes, this is what he's seeing. Look at all the traffic. And it's just a perfectly placed shot inside the bar. Great positioning. No interference with the goaltender. Byfield on the ice. Overleaf Joel Edmondson. Checked at center by Domi. Nyes is with him. Takes the drop. Here's Matthew Nyes. Scores! And the Leafs have struck first. What a goal by Matthew Nyes. What a big turnaround that is. You know, Kempe has scored eight first goals of the game. And then the dreaded turnover in the neutral zone. Nice little saucer pass there by Max Domi. That's one that threw the screen of the defenseman. Nice job of Nyes just getting control at the last second. The stick by Clark is just a little bit. Philadelphia sneaking back into the conversation. Leafs will have the Capitals on Wednesday. Here's Nyes. Scores! What a bullet, Matthew Nyes. And the game is tied. And you could see it coming. Sloppy play. Like three times L.A. just not able to really execute or able to get a little extra on it. Trying to play it himself as Kemper can't get it cleared. Now you've got everyone standing still. And Nyes just quickly releases that one. Watch him stay away from the traffic. Gather it for a split second. And Kemper, to his discredit, was sliding across Griff.