Matthew Knies credits a former Leaf for his huge performance against the Lightning

Knies opened the scoring early for the Leafs and tallied two assists in this one to cap off a 3-point night in his first full game on the top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Knies' first period goal showcased some tremendous vision and hand-eye coordination, as he knocked down a short saucer pass in front of the net, burying the biscuit on the backhand.

Knies was named Player of the Game after this one, earning his second run with the Leafs championship belt in just 12 games. Rightfully so after the show he put on against the Bolts.

Following the game, Knies met with the media and revealed that a former Leaf, Ryan O'Reilly (A.K.A. "Factor") was influential in his 1st period goal, revealing that knocking down pucks was something that O'Reilly had helped him work on during his time in Toronto.

As a young player, you pick things up along the way and for a kid like Matthew Knies, with all of the tools he has in his tool box, taking the lessons learned from a guy like Ryan O'Reilly and applying them even after he's gone shows tremendous commitment to getting better. This is one lesson from a veteran NHLer that we should be thrilled to see Knies absorb. Hopefully we'll see more of this going forward.