"He is obviously a great player with skill and speed. He adds offense. He adds in a lot of areas. It is great to have him back. Those are tough decisions, but I tweaked it a little. I kept that Roy line together; I've just really liked what they've been doing lately. That is just the way it goes when you have people out, and they come back. You have to make some lineup changes."
"They're tough decisions, right? Willy is coming back. I've liked what Maccelli has done on it. I like Knies in the bumper right now. I love the rotation with Willy and Knies between the net front and the bumper. It just gives us more options there. They're tough decisions we have to make, but I spoke with JT about it. He is a good team guy, and he is fine. He can be really effective with the other unit, too."
"For me, it is the skating and speed in the middle of the ice, more than anything. I really believe that he is attacking in the middle of the ice. He is demanding the puck in the middle of the ice. He is doing a great job of using his size and speed to go through people. He is getting good looks; he is burying them and putting them in the net with his shot"
William Nylander returns to the lineup, bringing skill, speed and additional offense across multiple areas. Coaching staff adjusted lines while keeping the Roy line intact because of its recent effectiveness. John Tavares was moved to the second power-play unit to accommodate Nylander, with Maccelli and Knies filling bumper and rotation roles and providing more tactical options. Players communicated about the power-play changes and accepted the role adjustments. The group reports comfort with frequent lineup shifts due to familiarity among players. Matthew Knies’ play has improved through aggressive skating, attacking the middle, demanding the puck, and using size and speed to finish scoring chances.
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