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Leafs practice notes: Matthew Knies joins Auston Matthews on the ice for first time since injury

Originally posted on TheLeafsnation | By Alex Hobson | Last updated Nov 21, 2025 1:53 PM ET

It appears that the Toronto Maple Leafs will be without Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies for another game, but to put a positive spin on it, it’s the fourth straight day Matthews was on the ice and the first time Knies has skated since his injury.

Matthews has been out since Nov 11 against the Boston Bruins after he took a high hit and later threw a retaliatory check at Boston Bruins defenceman Nikita Zadorov. It’s unknown which hit the injury happened on, but it was enough to get him sidelined for over a week. Knies, meanwhile, has been dealing with a lingering issue for a bit and reportedly had a flare-up prior to Tuesday night’s game against the St. Louis Blues.

“This morning, I wasn’t sure if he was going to be ready to play, so I told Sammy [Blais] to be on standby,” Berube told reporters after the Maple Leafs’ 3-2 win on Tuesday. “He [Knies] came in tonight and couldn’t go…he’s had a lingering issue for a while and it got worse today.”

The Leafs, who are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, didn’t tweak their lines much ahead of a six-game road trip beginning on Saturday.

Lines at Leafs practice

Nylander – Tavares – Jarnkrok
McMann – Domi – Robertson
Lorentz – Laughton – Cowan
Joshua – Quillan – Maccelli
Knies, Matthews, Blais

Rielly – Ekman-Larsson
Benoit – McCabe
Mermis – Stecher
Myers

Woll
Hildeby

at Montreal tomorrow @TSN_Sports

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) November 21, 2025

Head coach Craig Berube noted following the loss to Columbus that the Leafs’ process has looked much better in the past two games, and he expects his team to continue that trend as the team gets healthier.

“We’re defending a lot better. Tonight we needed to finish better. That’s really the story,” Berube told reporters following the game. “But, you know, I think things are getting better and they’re going in a good direction now. We’ve just got to keep working on it, keep building, and get some healthy bodies back.” The Leafs will begin their road trip on Saturday night when they visit the Montreal Canadiens for the second game between the rivals this season, followed by games against the Blue Jackets, Washington Capitals, and Pittsburgh Penguins next week.

This article first appeared on TheLeafsnation and was syndicated with permission.

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