Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies share their thoughts on playing on a line together
Since entering the lineup for Game 2 against Tampa, Matthew Knies was shuffled up and down, but mainly skated with Ryan O'Reilly and Noel Acciari - that is, until Game 5 when we saw him get promoted to the top line with Auston Matthews, where he has quickly been able to show he belongs. He was on the ice for all three overtime winning goals against Tampa and even assisted on John Tavares' series clinching goal in Game 6.
Ahead of Game 1 against Florida tonight where Knies will once again skate with Matthews, Knies shared what it's like to play with his hometown hero. "An incredible player & someone I looked up to when I was younger so to get that opportunity is special.»
Matthews was also very complimentary of Knies saying, "He's making a difference ...does a lot of the little things that maybe you wouldn't expect a young guy to do."
The two have found some chemistry very quickly in the limited games they've played together, but that shouldn't come as a surprise given how talented they both are and that they have skated together during the summer. Knies is still looking for his first NHL goal, but it should come sooner than later if he continues to play the way he has.
