The Scotiabank Arena crowd erupted in a deafening roar as the puck slowly crawled across the goal line. Morgan Rielly skated towards the screaming stands, dropping to one knee and enthusiastically pumping his fist.
After battering the Senators in Game 1, Rielly kept the Maple Leafs rolling Tuesday evening. A bounce off his skate from a William Nylander pass opened the scoring 鈥 his second goal of the best-of-seven series 鈥 igniting the fans en route to a 3-2 overtime win in Game 2.
As the Leafs head to Ottawa for Game 3 on Thursday leading 2-0 in the Battle of Ontario, they seem to have their offensive linchpin from the blue line back in stride.
鈥淚 think the expectation is that we’re all going to up our level 鈥 across the board,鈥 Rielly said about his play thus far in the opening round of the playoffs. 鈥淚 don’t think anyone is trying to reinvent the wheel 鈥 I don’t think anyone is doing anything different other than just more commitment, more competitiveness.鈥
You couldn鈥檛 even find that Swede of a dish in Sweden 馃い |
鈥 海角社区官网Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs)
The playoffs have marked a聽high point in what has been a turbulent season for the longest-tenured Leaf. Rielly has had a revolving door of partners, was taken off the top power play unit after early struggles and saw his ice time drop by two minutes from the year before.
Overwhelming confidence has never come聽easily to him, he鈥檚 admitted, and this season聽eroded it further. It took a mid-season private chat with Leafs head coach Craig Berube聽during the start of a four-game western road swing for his play to turn a corner.
He finished the regular season on a stronger note, notching 19 points in his last 31 games. And as the stakes raise to another level in the post-season, so has his play.
Max Domi鈥檚 shot won the game less than four minutes into the extra period to give Leafs a 2-0 series lead.
Max Domi鈥檚 shot won the game less than four minutes into the extra period to give Leafs a 2-0 series lead.
鈥淲hen you shoot and follow up the rushes, good things can happen,鈥 Leafs defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson said about Rielly. 鈥淚 think he’s been defending very well lately, and that comes into play.鈥
In an era where the Leafs have been defined by their post-season struggles, Rielly has been one of the more consistent playoff performers. His opening marker on Tuesday was the 13th playoff goal of his career, surpassing B枚rje Salming and tying Ian Turnbull for the most in Leafs history among defencemen. He became the first defenceman in Leafs history to score in each of their first two post-season games.
On Tuesday, Rielly also led the Leafs in Game Score 鈥 an analytic that provides a comprehensive view of a player’s overall contribution in a single game, factoring in points, shots, shot attempts, blocks, penalties, faceoffs and more 鈥 at 2.77.
The second-highest Game Score for a Leaf in Game 2? Auston Matthews at 2.13.
Rielly did nearly all of it at even-strength, logging just two seconds short-handed and none on the Leafs’ lone power play.
Traffic in front of the net is primed to be part of the Ottawa Senators’ strategy, and 海角社区官网netminder says it’s his responsibility to take care
Traffic in front of the net is primed to be part of the Ottawa Senators’ strategy, and 海角社区官网netminder says it’s his responsibility to take care
Although he spent most of the year playing with聽different defensive partners, Rielly has spent the majority of the last stretch alongside Brandon Carlo, who was acquired at the trade deadline from Boston. A stable partner seems to have put Rielly at ease, as he’s found some chemistry on the backend.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think (his play) is different in the playoffs than in the last 20 games, I would say or so 鈥 where he is up in play more,鈥 Berube said. 鈥淚 think he feels very comfortable with his partner. They got good chemistry together, and I think that he’s freed up a little bit to do his thing offensively.鈥
When the Leafs broke their nearly two-decade-long playoff series win drought in 2023, Rielly played a crucial role with four goals, including an OT winner, and 12 points in 11 games. A deep playoff run for the Leafs hinges on impressive performances like those.
So far, he鈥檚 delivered just that.
鈥淗e鈥檚 an unbelievable player, so it’s fun to see him chip in some goals,鈥 Ekman-Larsson said. 鈥淎nd yeah, he鈥檚 a playoff guy.鈥
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