Matthew Knies did a little bit of everything, Auston Matthews added another chapter to his record-breaking season, and the Toronto Maple Leafs kept rolling at home.
Knies scored once and set up Matthews for another as the Maple Leafs beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers 4-1 on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena, extending Toronto’s home winning streak to six games.
Easton Cowan also scored for Toronto, while Bobby McMann sealed it with an empty-net goal late in the third period. Goaltender Joseph Woll was sharp again for the Leafs before former Toronto draft pick Carter Verhaeghe spoiled his shutout bid with 8:22 remaining.
Knies opened the scoring early in the second period to make it 2-0, then struck again less than four minutes later with a slick feed to Matthews in front. The Leafs captain buried it for his team-leading 21st goal of the season, drawing another roar from a crowd already in a celebratory mood.
Former Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin was in attendance as part of a pregame ceremony honoring Matthews, who recently became the franchise’s all-time goals leader. Sundin held the record at 420; Matthews now sits at 422 and counting.
Matthews has been red-hot since the three-day Christmas break, piling up seven goals and 11 points in five games. He nearly added another earlier in the night but was denied on a power-play breakaway by Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
Despite being outshot 32-23, Toronto controlled much of the game’s momentum and continued its recent dominance over Florida. This marked the Panthers’ first visit to Toronto since their 6-1 win in Game 7 of last season’s second-round playoff series on May 18. The Leafs have now won both meetings this season by a combined score of 7-2.
Leafs defenseman Brandon Carlo returned to the lineup after missing 23 games following foot surgery, adding stability on the back end. Florida, meanwhile, lost forward Brad Marchand for the third period after he took a hit late in the second. Earlier in the day, Marchand revealed he seriously considered signing with Toronto as a free agent last summer before ultimately staying in Florida.
The Panthers, who have been shut out just once all season, will look to regroup when they visit Montreal on Thursday. The Maple Leafs also return to action Thursday night, traveling to Philadelphia.
