Columbus Blue Jackets forward Matthew Knies shared his reaction after his historic debut with his new hockey club.
Knies scored two goals and had one assist as the Blue Jackets downed the Buffalo Sabres 6-3 on opening night.
By scoring three points in his Blue Jackets debut, Knies tied former team star Artemi Panarin for the most points by a debuting player in franchise history.
Matthew Knies Reacts to Incredible Debut for Columbus
Speaking to reporters after the game, Knies reacted to his electric debut for Columbus.
“That’s a lot of luck, and credit to these boys because they made me feel comfortable to do everything out there, and it’s a good group in and here and easy to play for,” Knies said.
“It’s just one game right now; we got to keep taking steps forward. There’s a lot of potential in this room, a lot of skill, a lot of guys who work their tail off. Just going to keep moving forward with what we’re doing.”
Knies also said that he greatly enjoyed playing in front of the Columbus fans.
“It was super fun just to walk the blue carpet just in front of everyone as well and to get to know the city; it’s pretty cool, and I love the passion here that they have for hockey. It’s a pretty fun atmosphere to play in, and I’m excited to play here again,” Knies said.
Rick Bowness Happy for Matthew Knies
Columbus coach Rick Bowness, who advocated to Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell to get Knies in the trade for Kirill Marchenko, was happy for his new player to have such an incredible debut game with his new team.
“He had a breakaway and a couple more. I was happy for him. Listen, he’s had a lot thrown at him the last couple of days. So, give him credit, he showed up tonight and was ready to work and play, and that’s what we’re going to see from him all the time. That’s how he plays. Big, strong, heavy guy with soft hands. He made some good plays,” Bowness said.
Matthew Knies Reacts to Historic Debut With Blue Jackets