There is no historical animosity between the Leafs and Knights that would have resulted in such a brutal game in mid-November.  

However, it turned into a dramatic game, with Toronto winning 3-0 and moving to first position in the Atlantic Division. Our takeaways:

Unlucky Seven  

Matthew Knies became the sixth Leaf forward to be out, following six injuries and Ryan Reaves' suspension.

Coach Craig Berube was enraged on the bench after many replays showed Zach Whitecloud leaving his feet to rock the Leaf winger with his shoulder, and even more so after Simon Benoit received an extra minor for jumping Whitecloud, but the victory cooled him down.

"My perspective on the hit..." It's a tough decision. I'm not going to sit here and make comments about the league. They thought it was a clean hit (after a lengthy consultation with a replay monitor), therefore there's nothing you can say.  

Knies did not appear for the third quarter, and Berube declined to respond to a question about a potential question.

"He's upper body right now and I think tomorrow will tell us more."  

RALLY CAPS 

The Knies injury galvanized the Leafs, including goaltender Joseph Woll, who equated it to a playoff game.   

"It wasn't a good thing he was harmed, but it certainly generated some excitement. Sometimes rage and other emotions can propel you through a game, and I was relieved to see us shut them off after something like that.

"I was pretty pissed and tried to harness it as best I could."        

Without Reaves and Max Domi, the Leafs acted aggressively. Jake McCabe went out of his way to bump the Knights and get to Whitecloud.   

'We started early, and the boys didn't back down," Berube noted.  

Benoit, who was already upset after sitting out a few games to give the team a chance with Jani Hakanpaa, accounted for eight of Toronto's 23 hits.

"I thought he was excellent tonight, more aggressive than he has been," Berube told me. "Not only physical and closing out plays, but he moved in the offensive zone and advanced the puck."  

Woll singled out Steven Lorentz for important shot blocks throughout, including two off the same foot and four of Toronto's 26.   

GREBENKIN BREAKS IN 

Nikita Grebenkin made his NHL debut on Tuesday night, shocking the Vegas bench by squashing Shea Theodore in the first period, albeit from behind and a touch too close to the boards.

His day concluded with a raucous media scrum as the ecstatic Russian's command of English was tested. The Leafs stayed back during warmup to give him the usual rookie warm-up lap, which the crowd cheered.  

"Have a nice, long day. "I enjoy seeing the team win," he stated with a gap-toothed smile. "Thank you to the team, the general manager (Brad Treliving), and the coach who assisted me. I've waited a long time for NHL action."

Yes, the 6-foot-2 forward relished the hitting and the give-and-take.

"I enjoy hard hockey. The squad tells me, 'backcheck, forecheck, and pay cheque' (as the old hockey adage goes).

The studious Woll already enjoys playing with Grebenkin.  

"The majority of my reading on his personality comes from nonverbal indicators. I wish I understood more of his words because he's always upbeat and happy."  

MINTED GOAL 

Centre Fraser Minten had no idea where the souvenir puck from his first NHL goal was going, but he couldn't have asked for a finer feed from William Nylander, and when he came over the boards on a line change, the Knights lost sight of him.

"I stayed in the quiet ice and I know Willy sees everything," he told me. "I felt more bold and confident (compared to last year's uneventful four-game trial). There's less amazement.

"You spend a lot of time thinking about your initial goal, but you have no idea how it will be achieved.