Matthew Knies has emerged as a true piece of the Toronto Maple Leafs' top-six forward group. This means he faces matchup against Brad Marchand quite often, and has had to deal with his abrasiveness firsthand.
This is a tall task for a young player, especially considering the way Brad Marchand's game adjusts so perfectly the playoffs.
Having watched Marchand get the better of his team two nights ago, Knies has now commented on what the Toronto Maple Leafs will do to make sure they don't get outsmarted and out-‘pested' by the Boston Bruins captain:
"He wants to get under our skin and influence the refs, so I think we've just got to be composed and not kind of get into that bullshit. Just play hard and make him (less) effective,"
For his part, Brad Marchand has shared his thoughts on the Toronto Maple Leafs series so far, in a much different light considering his team's 2-1 series lead over their rival.
"I talk to my kids about it and their dream is to play at this level. To realize that we're living it? I just woke up with that gratitude that we're lucky to be here. You want to make the most of this opportunity.»
Brad Marchand is the ultimate playoff performer, and Matthew Knies and the Maple Leafs will need to be at their best tomorrow night to make sure he gets stifled.
