Craig Berube on Matthew Knies' injury situation: "It's bothered him a lot for quite some time, and it hasn't really gotten much better... It's an ongoing issue"

"I think we're just really coming together as a team, for one, and we're playing a really strong team game at both ends of the rink. We are doing a great job of scoring goals at five-on-five, and we're scoring in different ways. We're getting contributions from everybody. On the flip side, I think our defense has really shored things up, too, and we're getting solid goaltending. The penalty kill has been excellent. The power play has gotten a little boost, too."

"In a few different areas. I think our rush defense has improved tremendously. Our gaps by our D and our forwards getting back above things, to me, has been the biggest area of improvement. In our d-zone, we are killing more plays and are not spending as much time in our zone. Defensively, we have numbers around the puck, and we are winning battles and getting it out of our zone."

The team has come together and is playing a strong team game at both ends of the rink. Five-on-five scoring has improved, with goals coming in varied ways and contributions from many players. Defense has tightened, with a marked improvement in rush defense, better defensive gaps, and forwards recovering effectively. The team is killing more plays in the defensive zone, spending less time there, winning battles, and clearing pucks. Goaltending has been solid, the penalty kill has been excellent, and the power play has seen a modest boost. Matthew Knies is a game-time decision; Scott Laughton can move up and has prior experience on wing and in top-six roles.

Read at Maple Leafs Hotstove