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What Knies, coming out of the U.S. college system, didn’t yet possess was physicality, a willingness to use those six-foot-three, 223-pound dimensions to his banging, puck-rassling, crease-planting advantage. Four years later, he’s become that classic power forward who can carve out scoring lanes, with a nose for goals and a “big ass in front.’’

When coach Craig Berube was recently asked which player had most raised his monobrow in this his first year behind the º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøbench, he didn’t have to ponder long: “I think Matthew Knies has surprised me. The growth from training camp on and throughout the season, how he’s grown as a player and what he’s accomplished this year. I’m not sure I pictured that, know what I mean? He’s been a special surprise. Not a surprise so much because the ability was there, but he’s young and he’s grown quickly.’’

Ripened, at mere age 22, into a winger befitting fellow Arizonan Auston Matthews’s left flank on the Leafs’ No. 1 line.

Evolved into a 29-goal scorer this season. And tied with John Tavares for most goalsÌý— threeÌý— in the opening playoff round with Ottawa that º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøleads three games to one, a pair of them on the power play.

On a day off from their hockey labours Sunday, Berube was still raving about Knies’s highlight-reel goal in Saturday’s 4-3 overtime loss. “That’s a whole lot of effort. He pulled away. He’s a powerful guy. What really impressed me was, it looked like he got in real tight on the goalie, but just pulling that puck back and getting it upstairsÌý— that’s a high-end goal. He keeps impressing me, along with impressing everybody in the organization. He’s a very competitive player with a ton of talent, but it’s his effort that drives him, in my opinion. That was an effort play all day long: beating his D up the ice, outskating him, outmuscling him, and the skill to do what he did to score the goal.’’

In his own words, Knies had described the sequence thusly: “I saw that the D were kind of talking there. I think they miscommunicated a little bit on who was going to go there. So I thought I’d jump, just poke it ahead of him, because I thought I had more speed.’’

It came at the end of a long shift when he was gassed. No matter. “With the adrenalin of a possible breakaway, a lot of energy. I just tried to get it upstairs, kind of baited him (goalie Linus Ullmark) one way and it worked out.’’

His teammates were agog. “Awesome hustle, unbelievable finish,’’ marvelled William Nylander. “That for sure got the boys right up on the bench.’’

Knies also racked up more ice time than any other forward: 22:20.

Though that windburn burst midway through a second period in which the Leafs held the Senators to just one (1) shot temporarily knotted the score 2-2, º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøcouldn’t hold off the Senators in overtime, despite a four-minute power play. Knies had one of Toronto’s five shots in that extended PP, but none found the back of the net. And for the 11th time in 12 tries, dating back to 2018, the Leafs failed to put away an opponent in an elimination game.

In fact, with three games decided in OT, this series has been much closer than the bottom line would indicate. If that’s created a niggle of doubt for the LeafsÌý— the horror show prospect of 2021 déjà vu, a 3-1 lead over Montreal dissolving into a face plantÌý— they aren’t showing it.

“We’ve put ourselves in a great spot,’’ Knies said after Game 4. “On to the next one. It has been close games, three overtimes. It’s great hockey. I’m sure it’s fun to watch. We’re excited to get back after it.’’

Berube, the throwback bench boss who’s shape-shifted the Leafs into a hardnosed, resilient outfit that has not once trembled at the kneesÌý— blocking shots as if maddened, checking fiercely, defensively muscularÌý— isn’t having any of that twitchy talk. He liked Game 4 overall, but for the dimwit roughing penalty Max Domi took that led to Ottawa drawing first blood and the overthink on that four-minute man advantage in OT, albeit with Tavares in suspected concussion protocol and unavailable (returning later).

“We could have generated more off of it, been a little bit more direct on our power play in that situation,’’ Berube told reporters in a high noon Zoom session.

Was moderately uncrazy about the penalty kill, too: “They’re moving the puck around too easily, so there’s situations where we can pressure more and get clears. Our forecheck should be a little bit tighter, too.’’

’Kay. Call-out to power forwards with a slick stick and a beefy tush.