Maple Leafs' Knies plays in Game 7 4768

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies suited up for Sunday's Game 7 against the Florida Panthers. 454sv

Knies' status for the winner-take-all contest was in question after he was limited in Game 6 due to an apparent injury. The 22-year-old was laboring after a collision with Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola late in the first period. He only played 13:01 in the victory after averaging more than 18 minutes throughout the series.

"You're not injured because you're playing. You're banged up. You're hurt. And there's a lot of that. There's a lot of teams and a lot of players (hurt)," head coach Craig Berube said pregame.

"This time of year, you play through it, right? It's too important not to."

The Maple Leafs iced the same lineup that won Game 6, with Knies in his usual spot on the top line alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.

Knies entered Sunday with five goals and two assists in 12 playoff games this spring. He had a career-high 29 tallies in the regular season.

The Maple Leafs haven't won a Game 7 since 2004. They've lost six straight Game 7s.