TORONTO — That was so good! Mateo Knies In the first home game on Saturday?
Well, he scored a greasy goal, approved by Craig Berube, as a worker, who scored the purple. He recorded a plus-4 rating, the highest of his career and the game. He had a career-high 21:06 ice time, more than any Leafs forward not named Mitch Marner or Auston Matthews. And he was promoted to the top power play unit in the absence of John Tavares.
Sophomore slump? How about the sophomore bump?
“Just his confidence” is what Matthews has noticed in his heavy left winger early in Year 2. “He has a very high ceiling and he works hard every day.”
Knies' ice time averaged 13:40 as a rookie, but his gritty, no-nonsense, north-headed style has quickly aligned with his new coach's vision of how a power forward should behave.
The literal 10 pounds of weight and figurative 10 pounds of confidence that Knies added over the summer were on full display Thursday when, as puck carrier, the 21-year-old carried the Devils' No. 1 D-man, Dougie Hamilton, like a runner about to explode. through the line:
“He's a powerful guy, I tell you,” Berube said. “He was excellent (Saturday). He's strong, strong with pucks, plays the game the right way. The goal score will arrive
“He is young. It's difficult to score in this league when you're young. And I'm not saying he won't score early in his career. But the goals will come. We use it in all situations: penalty kills, power plays. He was there at the end of the game, six against five. So, it's been very structured. And for me the strength of his game is a high ceiling.”
'Struggling' trading chip Liljegren gets its chance
The noise surrounding Timothy Liljegren – who is available for trade but may not be moved anytime soon – could calm down if the third-pairing defenseman can impress in his season debut, which should come Wednesday against the LA Kings.
“If something happens, it happens,” Liljegren played down to reporters on Monday. He has been avoiding social media rumors. “Last year I also went through difficult times and I overcame them.
“I love the city, I love the team.”
The first-round pick has grown up in the Leafs system and the city of Toronto since he was 18 years old. If Liljegren followed the path of his friend Rasmus Sandin and was traded after coming in and out of the lineup, the Maple Leafs would have only one defenseman drafted and developed on their roster (Morgan Rielly).
Liljegren's effort in camp and his inability to perfectly adapt to coach Berube's playing style saw him ruled out in favor of Conor Timmins for three games.
“It's obviously not fun not playing, but I've tried to come in and work as hard as I can to get back in the lineup,” he said. “I’ve been struggling a little bit, trying to find my way.”
Why did Liljegren struggle so much in the preseason?
“I don't have a good answer for you,” he said. “I did my best, but it didn't turn out the way I wanted.”
Berube recently chatted with the player and has already noticed “more intensity” from the affable Swede in training. The coach asks Liljegren for a “hard and simple” game on Wednesday.
An opportunity to rise to the challenge and improve your actions.
Matthews needs a point but makes a good one.
Matthews had already scored six goals in the third game of the 2023-24 season.
Now in his first campaign with a 'C' on his shoulder, we enter Week 2 with champion Rocket Richard still looking for a point.
The center's linemates bent the string on Saturday, but the guy with a game-high eight shots didn't.
Matthews is unfazed by his slow offensive start (he was pointless for the first three games of 2021-22 before breaking out in his first 60-goal season) and it's only a matter of time before a sniper with a shooting percentage of 16.1 race burst.
“The possibilities are there. I mean, we're playing good hockey. We are winning. That's the most important part. Those chances will eventually diminish,” Matthews said, in fact. “Sometimes you take what the game gives you.”
Matthews, a Selke finalist for the first time last season as the game's best defensive forward, is now taking a common PK turn with Marner (“It's a challenge, but it's been something I've wanted to do for the past few years,” he said. ). and has held his own against the opposition's main pivots, starting at plus-2.
“For me, it's generally pretty good hockey,” Berube said. “He is having opportunities. They don't come in all the time.
“I really like his effort and his competence playing 200 feet. “He’s taken on the best every night and done a good job.”
Matthews' lack of production should barely register on Toronto's Concern-O-Meter.
OEEL? PP1? LFG!
When the Leafs inked offensive talent Oliver Ekman-Larsson after an appreciable off-season deal, we suspected he'd be welcomed with the John Klingberg treatment: immediate promotion to quarterback of the top power-play unit, who laid an egg on the Bruins playoff series.
That wasn't the case, as Morgan Rielly started the season on a high.
But midway through Saturday's game, when Toronto's PP sank to 0 for 9, Berube had seen enough and promoted Ekman-Larsson to the stars.
“Sometimes it's a little hard to decide who to give the puck to… there are so many threats out there,” Ekman-Larsson said. “It's fun to be in that unit.”
Berube wants faster puck movement and more rubber on the 5-on-4 blue, and Ekman-Larsson takes pride in filtering pucks and works to walk the blue line every day.
In fact, OEL's five shots were second only to Matthews' eight on Saturday, and he finished with a game-high 10 attempts.
“He looks to shoot a lot, which is good,” Berube said.
Ekman-Larsson's poise in the O zone excited his injured compatriots in the press box.
“I was talking to Järny (Järnkrok Street) when we were at the game,” Liljegren said. “Your vaccine is so sick. He is very fluid and makes many shots that reach the net. “It's fun to watch.”
“Offensively, he's been one of the best in the league,” says Matthews, the Arizona native very familiar with Ekman-Larsson's best years with the Coyotes. “He is extremely skilled. He's been a power-playing guy his entire career.
“I didn’t realize how much bite he plays on the defensive side of the puck until I saw him here.”
That's because Ekman-Larsson, 33, has increased his training focus toward D-zone play with age.
And when you cross the blue line, use one of the longest twigs in the game to slide the discs away from the oncoming controls and slide them across the lane.
“I joke that you don't need to skate as much with a long stick,” he said with a smile. “It’s been working for me.”
Unique: Joseph Woll hit the ice alone on Monday for the first time since suffering some “lower body strain” a week ago. He hopes to join the team's practice soon, but won't be forced into game action. “It's getting better,” Berube said. “Especially a goalkeeper with an injury, what you want is for him to be completely healthy”…. John Tavares (illness) missed practice Monday and hasn't put on skates since Thursday's win in New Jersey. He scored a goal that night despite feeling unwell. It is not ruled out for Wednesday…. The Maple Leafs' player of the game belt has been in the exclusive possession of their goaltenders. True winner Dennis Hildeby presented the award to Anthony Stolarz following Saturday's home win.
Projected Maple Leafs lines Wednesday vs. LA Kings (if Tavares can't play)
Knies-Matthews-Marner
McMann – Domi – Nylander
Pacioretty–Holmberg–Robertson
Lorentz–Kämpf–Reaves
Rielly–Tanev
Ekman-Larsson–McCabe
Benoit–Liljegren
Stolarz
Hildeby
fountain
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