Referees Issue Warning to Leafs Forward Matthew Knies After Illegal Play in Game 2
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Referees were very strict with Matthew Knies ahead of Game 3, issuing a warning to the forward not to pull any funny business with the Florida Panthers.
With Game 3 expected to be heated and intense, the Maple Leafs and Panthers are going to make some fireworks for sure, the only question being will things get out of control or will cooler heads prevail?
There's a lot of concern around Florida's health heading into Game 3, how the Maple Leafs are going to react to the Panthers crowd, and what types of shenanigans both teams are going to get into.
According to Matthew Knies however, he's going to have a lot of eyes on him and was told not to make any wrong moves.
Referees Give Matthew Knies Bizarre Warning Regarding Screens
Learning from the Sean Avery playbook, Knies has been trying to frustrate Sergei Bobvrosky to no end, using his hands in addition to his tall frame to make life miserable for the goaltender.
However, he admitted that the referees warned him that he's going to be punished if he keeps it up:
I probably can't use my hands as much, was told by the refs.
While it isn't as egregious as Avery's attempts on Martin Brodeur years prior, it's still just Knies figuring out a way to frustrate Bobrovsky without causing too many issues.
The referees seem to be focused however on the wrong things, often eschewing penalties and letting blindside hits go, but are warning Knies not to make Bobrovsky too uncomfortable.
It's a bizarre focus that doesn't give the referees any leeway when it comes to fans thinking the Maple Leafs are getting the short end of the stick hen it comes to partial officiating.
Knies' screening technique hasn't really stopped him from producing though. In eight games thus far, he has four goals and five points while adding six blocks and 15 hits thus far.
But if Knies isn't able to use his new skills to disrupt Bobrovsky, then he can do just as well by simply standing in front of him.
He's big enough to cause chaos, and with other big bodies like Max Pacioretty also setting screens; it's might be a miserable night for the Russian goaltender.
The referees may think that Knies is causing the Florida Panthers too many headaches and want him to knock it off. Not a problem though, because he can hurt the team in other ways.
Plus it might not be long until Florida has no choice but to watch the Maple Leafs move on, while they move on to the golf course.
| POLL | ||
MAI 9 | 768 ANSWERS Referees Issue Warning to Leafs Forward Matthew Knies After Illegal Play in Game 2 Do you think Matthew Knies is going to be a factor in Game 3 vs. Florida? | ||
| Yes | 683 | 88.9 % |
| No | 85 | 11.1 % |
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