Matthew Knies Achieves Something Unthinkable During Leafs-Penguins Matchup

We're on the verge of March Madness, and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies has gotten in on the action with a thrilling buzzer beater at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.

Very shortly after assistant captain John Tavares re-tied the game for the Maple Leafs against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the sophomore Knies intercepted a poor pass from defenseman Erik Karlsson and sprang forward on a breakaway attempt in the waning moments of the 2nd period.

To the shock of everyone in the arena, on the broadcast and, I'm sure, to viewers around the world, Knies fired a shot past the blocker of goaltender Joel Blomqvist as the horn sounded to end the period with literally 0.1 seconds left on the clock.

Knies' goal capped the 1st 40 minutes of what has been a back and forth affair between the Maple Leafs and Penguins. Toronto took an early 2-0 lead, only to see the Penguins rebound and score 3-straight goals to take the lead.

Leafs captain Auston Matthews tied the game at 3-3, followed by the go-ahead goal from Bryan Rust (Sidney Crosby passed Gordie Howe on the NHL's all-time assists list with his helper on Rust's goal).

But thanks to the pair of goals from Tavares and Knies, the Leafs now enjoy the 5-4 lead heading into the 3rd period.

Knies' contract expires this summer, and he's a pending restricted free agent. His buzzer-beating goal was his 23rd of the year. With today's goal, he now has 39 points (23G, 16A) in 56 games.