Matthew Knies scored his 27th, 28th, and 29th goals of the season last night in a 4-3 overtime win against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The win pushed the Leafs three points clear of the Lightning for the lead in the Atlantic, and six points clear of the Florida Panthers, who have the potential to slip into the fingers of Ottawa – unless Montreal catches them instead. The Leafs also cracked 100 points, which they've done in every full season in the Matthews era except for The Rookies Year.

The Leafs first line had three points each – three goals for Knies, one goal and two assists for Mitch Marner, and three assists for Auston Matthews. With those goals, Knies is on the cusp of his first career 30-goal, 60-point season. Mitch Marner is three points away from 100 on the season.

Auston Matthews will likely finish only his second season with more assists than goals (22/23 was the other one). This has been a down year for Matthews, who has shot a career-low 12% on the season and has missed 25 games. And yet, he has 30 goals and is well above a point per game and leads the team in total shots on goal.

We can't talk about milestones without talking about William Nylander, the most underrated player in the league this season in my mind. He's second in the entire league in goals with 44 with an outside shot of hitting 50 for the first time in his career, and he's done it still playing under 20 minutes a game. He, of course, leads the Leafs in goals, and is second points and third in assists behind his comrades Marner and Matthews.

John Tavares has been a steady presence all season and he may be rewarded with his fourth 40-goal season with the Leafs.

Chris Tanev has 185 blocked shots this season, the highest in his career (I couldn't believe it either). Tanev, McCabe, Rielly, and Benoit all have over 100 blocks this season. Auston Matthews is the forward with the most blocks with 84 (not sure if I love that, but way to lead, Cap?).

Simon Benoit has 194 hits this season and is touching the top-20 in the league in that category. Steven Lorentz is right there with him with 192. Knies has 179 in third. And for the record, the two players regular Leafs at the bottom of the hits category are William Nylander... and Chris Tanev.

Recap: Matt Knies wins in overtime against the Lightning
Stolie is the goalie. Matt Knies though.
PPP LeafsCathy Squires

RIP to Ray Shero, who passed away yesterday at only 62. He built up the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 00's and won the Stanley Cup with them in 2009. He also ran the New Jersey Devils for a long time before moving back to his hometown Minnesota Wild as an advisor until his sudden passing.

Gabriel Landeskog is hoping to make a comeback! The Avalanche captain hasn't played a game since winning the Stanley Cup in 2022. He's been out for with a knee injury that he had "knee cartilage replacement surgery" on two years ago.

“Until I’ve exhausted every option, I’m just going to continue pushing forward,” Landeskog said. “I’m confident in the player I am. I’m confident in the athlete I am.” - ESPN via Daily Faceoff

Congrats to The Other Matt Murray for his new contract extension!

I don't have to repeat the quote from the colour commentator to tell you how I reacted to this.

Victor Johansson might be rocketing up our T25 standings this summer.

Maple Leafs Prospect Report: Recapping Victor Johansson’s Breakout Season
Johansson went from being a complete unknown when he was drafted to becoming one of the best overall defensemen in his league. This is a breakdown showing his strengths, and what he still needs to work on.
PPP LeafsBrian S

Tonight, Montreal can lock in the eight teams in the East that will go to the playoffs with a point against Ottawa. The next question will be the order of the teams. The Metro looks like it won't change in any way, but there's a couple ways the Atlantic could go in terms of matchups. The Leafs could legitimately play any of their four divisional rivals by finishing first or second in the division. Either way, they'll have home ice in the first round.

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