By Canadian Press

Maple Leafs defeat Vegas Golden Knights but lose Matthew Knies in the process

Nov 20, 2024 | 9:36 PM

TORONTO — Fraser Minten scored his first NHL goal as the injury-ravaged Toronto Maple Leafs blanked the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 in a feisty contest Wednesday.

The 20-year-old forward from Vancouver, playing his fifth career NHL game and first of this season, opened the scoring on Toronto’s second shot on goal at 8:53 of the first period with William Nylander as the playmaker.

Nylander scored his 13th of the season at 3:01 of the third on the power play. Pontus Holmberg, with his first of the season, added an empty-net goal 16:41 into the frame.

Joseph Woll was sharp in the Toronto goal, stopping all 31 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season. Adin Hill got the start for Vegas over former Leaf Ilya Samsonov and made 23 saves.

Toronto’s Nikita Grebenkin made his NHL debut. The 21-year-old Russian, taken in the fifth round (135th overall) of the 2022 draft, started on a line with Nick Robertson and Minten, and hammered Shea Theodore into the boards late in the first period.

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Toronto (12-6-2) has won six of its last seven. Vegas (11-6-2) has lost two straight as coach Bruce Cassidy seeks his 400th career victory.

Takeaways

Both teams were without their captains with Toronto’s Auston Matthews (upper-body injury) missing his seventh straight game and Vegas’ Mark Stone (lower body) his sixth. The Leafs were also missing Max Domi, David Kampf, Max Pacioretty and Calle Jarnkrok while Ryan Reaves started his five-game ban for felling Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse with an illegal check to the head.

Key Moment

Toronto forward Matthew Knies was left dazed following a mid-ice hit by Zach Whitecloud in front of the Leafs’ bench at 7:59 of the second period. Whitecloud, who stood up as he delivered the hit, was not penalized for the punishing check but got a minor roughing penalty for tangling with Toronto’s Simon Benoit, who got four minutes roughing for his attempted retribution. The game got more physical after that.

Knies (upper body injury) did not return to the game. Whitecloud got his comeuppance when Toronto scored in the third while he served a hooking penalty.

Key Stat

Toronto held off the NHL’s second-best power play unit, with Vegas going 0 for 3 with the man advantage.

Up Next

Toronto wraps up a three-game homestand Sunday against the Utah Hockey Club before heading to Florida for a two-game trip. Las Vegas continues its season-long five-game road trip in Ottawa on Thursday, followed by dates in Montreal, Philadelphia and Colorado.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 20, 2024

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press