Photo credit: All Montreal Hockey / NHL
The Canadiens are heading to Toronto on Saturday, and the Maple Leafs have a knife between their teeth.
At the heart of this little revenge story is Matthew Knies. Absent during the Montreal blowout on November 22, the winger is back from injury and has just stacked six points in his last five games.
In total, he already shows 7 goals, 21 assists, and 28 points in 24 games, at 23 years old, with his 6-foot-3, 232-pound frame.
“We’ve had a tendency to be flat at home, but we’ll come saturday and give some payback to these guys” – Matthew Knies
We’re mostly talking about a guy the Leafs just locked up for a long time. Knies signed a six-year, $46.5-million contract extension, with a cap hit of $7.75 million per year. When a young forward paid like that talks about “making the Canadiens pay” on Saturday, it resonates in a locker room.
On the other side, Auston Matthews wasn’t there for the last matchup, but he will be in uniform this time. The Leafs’ captain already has 10 goals in 20 games this season and continues to embrace his role as the face of the organization, earning $13.25 million per season on his four-year deal.
Matthew Knies wants to make himself heard on Saturday
In the standings, the numbers speak too. The Canadiens arrive with a record of 14-9-3, while Toronto shows 13-11-3.
Four points separate the two Atlantic rivals, and a Montreal win on Saturday would put immediate pressure on the Leafs, who are already shaken by an uneven season start.
The message is simple for the Canadiens: ruin Knies’ revenge plan and take advantage of a vulnerable opposing net to widen the gap in the standings.
A Saturday night in Toronto, with a Canadiens-Leafs matchup that smells like revenge on both sides? It’s likely to get intense for real.
Previously on All Montreal Hockey
POLL
05 MINUTES AGOÂ Â Â |Â Â Â 3 ANSWERS
Matthew Knies sends a fiery message that sets the tone for the Canadiens-Maple Leafs clash
Will Matthew Knies really make the Canadiens pay on Saturday?