In the first period of last night's Game 2, Sam Bennett and Matthew Knies engaged in a battle behind the Panthers' net which ended in Bennett putting Knies in a headlock, slamming him into the glass and then tackling him awkwardly to the ice.
Knies only played a handful of shifts after and did not come out to start the second period and missed the rest of the game. Following the loss, Sheldon Keefe said he did not have an update on the status of Knies but said the fact he didn't finish the game is "not positive."
Knies has quickly become a fixture in the Leafs' top six, including the left wing spot next to Auston Matthews on the team's top line, where he scored his first NHL goal in Game 1. Losing Knies for an extended period of time would be a massive blow to the Leafs, given his unique skill set.
