Matthew Knies discusses getting chirped by Tkachuk before scoring his first career goal

The beauty of the NHL playoffs is that a series will always either lead to a new rivalry or it will amplify the hatred between the two teams involved and raise the temperature of the games. The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers have never really had a fierce rivalry before, but after just one game in the playoffs, we have a one hell of a series on our hands.

Matthew Knies scored his first career NHL goal in the second period of Game 1 to get the Leafs on the board and cut the deficit in half. It was a pretty nice goal, all things considered, as he not only made a nice move in tight in the slot, but he followed his own rebound.

Prior to the goal, the rookie mentioned that Matthew Tkachuk was chirping his ear off, trying to get in his head and rattle the youngster:

"He was chewing my ear out, trying to get in my face, get under my skin. He is really good at that & he likes to change the energy of a game. Everyone in this locker room knows we are not going to let that affect us."


When asked if he gave him anything back in return, Knies was quoted as saying:

"Not really. It's not what I'm best at. I'm not the best chirper, so I'm laughing it off and getting focused for my next shift."

The Panthers pose a very different threat to the Maple Leafs than the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning were bigger, but slower, while the Panthers are just a touch smaller, but a scrappy, aggressive bunch that will get under your skin.

The Matthew Tkachuk, Nick Cousins, and Sam Bennett line will be one to monitor all series long as they set the tone early. They not only scored the game's first 2 goals, but also chipped in with 18 hits combined, including 6 from Tkachuk in the first period alone.

Knies, on the other hand, should continue laughing it off as he has been nothing short of a great surprise since debuting for the Maple Leafs. The Leafs have enough bruisers and players who can deliver the chirps just as well as Tkachuk and we saw some of that from Luke Schenn already.

Thursday's Game 2 should be must-watch television.