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Maple Leafs Depth Hurt by Matthew Knies' Upper-Body Injury

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Jan 23, 2025 6:00 AM ET

The Toronto Maple Leafs faced a tough night on multiple fronts, suffering a 5–1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday and seeing key forward Matthew Knies exit the game with an upper-body injury.

The injury occurred late in the second period when Knies delivered a hit on Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko but got the worst of it.

After Knies made contact with Marchenko's left shoulder he ricocheted forward and fell to the ice on his right arm, ultimately colliding with a linesman before being helped off the ice.

The 22-year-old went to the bench and the Maple Leafs ruled him out for the remainder of the game shortly after.

Knies joined fellow forward Max Pacioretty on the sidelines after the veteran missed his second game on Wednesday.

Matthew Knies left the game late in the second period after throwing this hit. pic.twitter.com/eryjnIQlZL
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 23, 2025

Head coach Craig Berube did not have an immediate update on Knies’ condition after the game.

“He’ll be evaluated [Thursday morning],” Berube told reporters. "Upper-body. I’ll know more tomorrow."

Knies has been a standout performer for Toronto this season, having the fourth-most goals (18) and fifth-most total points (31) among Maple Leafs players across 47 games.

Despite missing two games earlier this season with an upper-body injury, Knies has been a staple on the Maple Leafs' top-six rotation logging 18:21 minutes of ice time per game, the fourth-highest figure among Toronto's forwards.

Knies had logged 13:41 of ice time and recorded one shot before leaving Wednesday's game. Nick Robertson and William Nylander filled in on the top line after he left the match.

Nylander assisted Auston Matthews’ 20th goal of the season, but it wasn’t enough to rally the Leafs, who were trailing 3–0 at the time of Knies’ injury.

The Leafs will return to action on Saturday while boasting a 30-17-2 record and holding the first place in the Atlantic Division with a three-point advantage over the Florida Panthers.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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