Matthew Knies didn’t need much time to make his presence felt in a Blue Jackets sweater.
Just days after coming over from the Toronto Maple Leafs, the power forward delivered a debut that had Columbus buzzing in a 6-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres in the home opener. Knies scored twice and added an assist, tying Artemi Panarin for the most points in a Blue Jackets debut with three. He also became the first Blue Jacket to score multiple goals in his debut.
His first impact came late in the opening period, when he picked up a power-play goal and then an assist in a span of less than a minute. That burst helped Columbus take a 3-1 lead into the first intermission.
Then midway through the second period, Knies struck again. He set up in front of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, got his stick on Emil Andrae’s shot, and redirected it in to make it 4-1.
He nearly capped the night with a hat trick, too, but Luukkonen turned away his breakaway try in the third period.
For a player who had barely had time to settle in, the performance stood out even more. Knies had to move his life to Columbus and get ready for a game with just one practice, no real time to learn systems, and plenty of upheaval still swirling around him. Instead of easing in, he made an immediate impact.
Charlie Coyle, who had three assists, said the situation around Knies made the night even more impressive.
“I can’t ask for much more,” said Charlie Coyle, who finished the night with three assists. “I imagine when you’re traded like that at this stage and it’s a shock and you got to get your bearings away from the rink, where you’re living, what you’re doing.
Just everything is different. It’s a tough thing I don’t think people realize … I think you can breathe for now knowing that he had a pretty good game.
And it just helps those guys settle in even more with such a hectic situation.”
Denton Mateychuk, who had an assist and logged more than 27 minutes, said the room was energized by what Knies brought.
“This is awesome,” said Denton Mateychuk, who recorded an assist while playing over 27 minutes. “The guys loved it.
He loved it. It was just a really cool night for everybody and for him to perform like that, it’s awesome to see.”
Rick Bowness liked what he saw, too, especially considering everything Knies has been dealing with over the last few days.
“Happy for him,” Bowness said. “He’s had a lot thrown at him the last couple of days, so give him credit.
He showed up tonight ready to work and play. That’s what we’re going to see from him all the time, right?
That’s how he plays. Big, strong, heavy guy with soft hands.
He made some plays … You can’t define chemistry, but you can see it. You’re starting to see a little bit with those guys (Knies’ linemates.)
Even after one practice or one game, I think it’ll continue to grow.”
Knies said the adjustment has been moving quickly, from hotel life to learning new faces, but he credited his new teammates for making things easier.
“These guys make it pretty easy on me just to be comfortable, so not much to worry about, not much to stress about,” Knies said. “Just play my game and play hard.”
He also kept the focus on the bigger picture, pointing out that one game doesn’t define anything.
“It’s just one game right now,” Knies said. “We got to keep taking steps forward.
There’s a lot of potential in this room, a lot of skill, a lot of guys that work their tails off. We’ve got to keep moving forward and just keep with what we’ve been doing.”
The win came with balanced scoring, but the story of the night belonged to Knies. For one game, at least, the Blue Jackets got exactly what they were hoping for from their new forward.
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