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The Toronto Maple Leafs in an oddity of scheduling are facing the Montreal Canadiens three times in four nights. The Leafs dressed a very young lineup in the first of back-to-back games at the Bell Centre on Friday, which resulted in a 2-1 victory over the Habs.
Matthew Knies and Mikko Kokkonen scored for Toronto, while Ilya Samsonov stopped all 17 shots before being relieved by Keith Petruzzelli for the third period.
The game was a proving ground for a number of the Leafs younger players who will make the roster and others who are not so far away. Samsonov was not overly tested but looked confident in 40 minutes of action.
On defense, Mark Giordano had a much better outing than he did in his first preseason action, but it is a veteran’s prerogative to slowly ramp up in games that do not count. Kokkonen continues to impress this camp after a nightmarish season. The 22-year-old scored the game-winning goal and blocked seven shots. With the Leafs being relatively thin on the blueline (so far have not been impressed with William Lagesson and Simon Benoit has not been available), he could be in the NHL mix down the line if he keeps playing well.
Conor Timmins and Timothy Liljegren led the Leafs in ice time on Friday. Both seem to be shoo-ins to make the roster unless cap concerns cannot be rectified.
Up front, Noah Gregor appears on the path of earning an NHL deal, as the former Shark played with impressive speed and energy. Nick Robertson has not been able to convert on scoring opportunities as he did in the preseason last year, but the 22-year-old has played well and definitely looks like an NHL player.
The two best Leafs on the ice were the club’s 2021 and 2022 second-rounders Knies and Fraser Minten. Minten is bound for Kamloops and a possible spot on Team Canada for the World Junior, but the 19-year-old plays a smart game with physicality and has good awareness on the ice. That was apparent on his setup of Knies for a short-handed goal midway through the second period.
Knies thus far has shown that he is ready to take a big step this season. There was some chatter that maybe due to cap reasons and that he is waiver exempt, he would start with the AHL Marlies. That is not happening. Whether he is ready for a top-six role and playing with Auston Matthews or John Tavares, that’s another question, but the 20-year-old has been impressive.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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