For the home side, it\u2019s the final result that matters most, Toronto claiming a pivotal two points as they look to pull themselves out of the Eastern Conference basement. But amid the rollercoaster effort against their provincial rivals, the blue-and-white found another crucial bit of progress, too \u2014 the revival of offensive stalwarts Auston Matthews<\/a> and Matthew Knies<\/a>.<\/p>\n Riding a pair of cold streaks into Saturday\u2019s affair, Nos. 34 and 23 each found their game in this one, putting on an elite offensive performance to help Toronto outlast the Sens.<\/p>\n It started early for the captain, Matthews filtering a backhand pass to a streaking William Nylander<\/a> 40 seconds into the night for Toronto\u2019s first goal. A period later, he set up another, planting himself in front of Linus Ullmark and nearly sweeping the puck past the line before Bobby McMann swooped in to tuck it home. Five minutes later, Matthews potted one of his own, posting up at the netfront again and shovelling home a rebound off a Max Domi<\/a> shot from distance.<\/p>\n It was the first three-point night of the campaign for Matthews and the first points he\u2019s put up in five games \u2014\u00a0the four-game cold streak the captain carried into the evening ranked as the longest he\u2019s endured in seven years. His nine shots on net ranked as a season-high as well, tying his highest total from all of last season, too.<\/p>\n \u201cThat line dominated in the second period, I thought,\u201d head coach Craig Berube told the gathered media in Toronto post-game. \u201cHe was moving really well. \u2026 I just thought that they really had good chemistry and worked well together. Jumping into holes and making plays.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe was around the net tonight. Scoring goals.\u201d<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t just the points that had No. 34 looking more like himself, though \u2014\u00a0it was the moments of elite skill he flashed over the course of the night. The clearest example came midway through the second period when Matthews came up with an all-world sequence in the slot, cutting to the net, collecting the puck from Domi, sliding it through his legs to bypass defender Thomas Chabot, waiting another beat, and throwing a dangerous backhand chance on net.\u00a0<\/p>\n The former Hart Trophy winner has come up with few moments this season that have seen him move with the type of swagger and confidence he used to show regularly, back when he was at his best. Saturday night, there were glimpses.<\/p>\n \u201cAuston was on a mission tonight,\u201d linemate Max Domi said of No. 34 after the dust settled on the tilt. \u201cAnd Bob was competing hard. Some big goals for sure \u2014\u00a0but we had everyone going.\u201d<\/p>\n It was much the same for Knies, who entered the night on a nine-game goalless streak. Suiting up with Nicolas Roy and Nick Robertson \u2014\u00a0with Matthews flanked by Domi and McMann \u2014\u00a0the 23-year-old came up clutch for the home side, turning in a two-goal, three-point night of his own.<\/p>\n The winger\u2019s fingerprints were all over Toronto\u2019s offensive effort, Knies striking early on a one-timer from the slot, then setting up a second-period Robertson goal with an exceptional between-the-legs dish, and finally tallying again late in the third with a calm, collected finish at the netfront.<\/p>\n \u201cI just tried to play my game,\u201d he told Sportsnet\u2019s Kyle Bukauskas\u00a0post-game. \u201cStick to it, keep it simple. Keep going, and get to the net \u2014 I think that\u2019s where I score a lot of my goals. So, fortunate enough that it fell for me today. Just got to keep that going.\u201d<\/p>\n Maple Leafs\u2019 unforced defensive errors remain an issue<\/p>\n While Toronto\u2019s offence did its job in this one, the club’s messy, disconnected play on the other end of the sheet allowed the Sens to stay in the game until the dying minutes of the tilt.<\/p>\n And for the most part, the home side\u2019s issues were self-inflicted \u2014\u00a0haphazard, unforced giveaways that gifted the opposition quality chances, as has been the case plenty of times this season.<\/p>\n There was Matias Maccelli with a misplaced first-period drop-pass on the man-advantage, nearly gifting Tim Stutzle a partial breakaway. Moments later, there was Morgan Rielly flirting with danger, passing it into Matthews\u2019 skates, the captain standing a few feet in front of the Maple Leafs\u2019 net as Ottawa\u2019s forecheckers hovered nearby.<\/p>\n A period later, it was Robertson alone behind Toronto\u2019s net, watching the puck roll off his stick right to Xavier Bourgault, who got a chance on Joseph Woll<\/a>. Later that period, it was Jake McCabe cutting into the same area, leaving the puck in the corner rather than carrying it behind the net to safety, allowing Dylan Cozens to pounce.<\/p>\n Go back through the game film and you\u2019ll find plenty more \u2014\u00a0no-look passes from the corner into the middle of the defensive zone, spinning passes in the neutral zone immediately picked off and turned towards Toronto\u2019s end, battles lost along the boards.<\/p>\n Livestream Hockey Night in Canada, Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey, the Oilers, Flames, Canucks, out-of-market matchups, the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the NHL Draft.<\/p>\n![\"NHL](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/McDavid-1-640x360.jpg\")
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