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There is no historical rivalry between the Leafs and Knights that would have produced such a nasty game in mid-November.

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But it turned into an intense affair, with Toronto picking up a 3-0 victory to move into first place in the Atlantic. Our takeaways:

UNLUCK SEVEN

Matthew Knies became the seventh Leaf forward to be knocked out of the lineup, with six injuries and Ryan Reaves ruled himself out due to suspension.

Coach Craig Berube was furious on the bench when several replays showed Zach Whitecloud leaving his feet to cradle the Leaf winger with his shoulder, more so when Simon Benoit was given an extra minor for jumping Whitecloud, but the win tempered him afterward .

“My take on the hit… it’s a tough decision. I’m not going to sit here and comment on the competition. They thought it was a bull’s-eye (after a long conference with a replay monitor), so there’s nothing to comment on, really nothing to say.

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Knies couldn’t get out before the third period and Berube wouldn’t respond to a question about a possible question.

“He’s upper body now and I think he’ll tell us more tomorrow.”

RALLY CAPS

The Knies injury had a galvanizing effect on the Leafs right down to goaltender Joseph Woll, who likened it to a playoff game.

“It wasn’t a good thing that he was injured, but it did provide some energy. Sometimes anger and those things can be used to get you through a game and I was just happy to see we put them away after something like that.

“I was quite angry and tried to make the most of it.”

Without Reaves and Max Domi, the Leafs showed fighting spirit. Jake McCabe did his best to run into the Knights and get Whitecloud.

“We started early, the boys didn’t shy away from it,” Berube noted.

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Benoit, already sullen after playing a few games so the team could watch Jani Hakanpaa, dished out eight of Toronto’s 23 goals.

“I thought he was excellent tonight, more aggressive than he’s ever been,” Berube said. “Not only physical and closing plays, but he moved into the offensive zone and moved the puck.”

Woll singled out Steven Lorentz for the key shot blocks, two from the same foot, four from Toronto’s 26.

GREBENKIN BREAKS IN

What an NHL debut for Nikita Grebenkin, who was called up Tuesday night and sent the Vegas bench into a frenzy by crushing Shea Theodore in the first period, albeit from behind and a little too close to the boards to rile up the Knights.

His day ended with a huge media frenzy as the giddy Russian’s command of English was put to the test. The Leafs stayed behind during warmups to give him the traditional rookie warm-up lap as the crowd cheered.

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“Nice day, long day. I enjoy a team victory,” he said with a smile between his teeth. “Thank you team, thank you general manager (Brad Treliving), the coach helped me. I’ve been waiting a long time for NHL play.”

Yes, the 6-foot-4 forward enjoyed the hitting, the give and take.

“I like hard hockey. The team speaks to me: ‘backcheck, forecheck and pay cheque’ (like the old hockey saying).

The eager to learn Woll already enjoys playing with Grebenkin.

“Most of what I read about his personality comes from non-verbal cues. I wish I knew more of what he says because he is always so positive and happy.

REPORTED TARGET

Center Fraser Minten wasn’t sure where the souvenir puck went from his first NHL goal, but he couldn’t have asked for a better feed from William Nylander and it came over the boards on a line change and the Knights lost sight of him.

“I stayed in the silent ice and I know Willy sees everything,” he said. “I felt more assertive and confident (than last year’s uneventful four-match trial period). It’s less awe.

“You think a lot about your first goal, but you don’t know how it will happen.

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X: @sunhornby

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