The Maple Leafs lost 4-2 to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday at Scotiabank Arena. The team will hold a media availability at 4:45 pm on Sunday ahead of a game against the New Jersey Devils.
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Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly left Saturday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens in the second period with a lower-body injury and did not return.
“No update,” said coach Jim Hiller following the 4-2 loss to the Canadiens. “Obviously didn’t finish, never a good sign. So, we’ll see.”
Rielly appeared to get hurt while defending a 2-on-1 rush early in the second period. He was slow skating to the bench before heading to the dressing room.
Rielly had been rounding into form of late with eight points and a plus-six mark over the previous seven games.
“He’s played really well,” Hiller said. “Probably three weeks as good as I’ve seen him in a long time. Really been helping us and I think his confidence is back. It’s a big blow. So, hopefully it’s not too long.”
Rielly leads Toronto’s defence in scoring with 12 points, all assists, this season. Eleven of the assists have come at even strength. No other Leafs defenceman has more than five points at even strength.
In the first 17 games of the season, Rielly averaged 17:36 of even-strength ice time per game, ranking behind only Darren Raddysh (19:22) on the team.
“Obviously he’s been dialled this year and to see him leave the game was tough,” said winger William Nylander. “It’s always tough when you lose a guy like Mo. Also a leader in the locker room and everything that he brings on the ice, so hopefully it’s not too long.”
Rielly’s injury comes at a critical time for the Leafs, who have dropped four of five games to fall to seventh place in the ultra-competitive Atlantic Division. Toronto is winless through four divisional games this season (0-3-1) with all the defeats coming at home.
Dakota Mermis is the extra defenceman on the roster right now and projects to draw in for Sunday’s game against the New Jersey Devils.
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Shots on goal were even (28-28) on Saturday, but the Leafs could not overcome some costly turnovers.
“They created some pretty good chances, but I think we gave them two or three of their goals,” Hiller said.
“We just shot ourselves in the foot a little bit,” said forward John Tavares, who returned from a nine-game injury absence.
The biggest culprit was rookie winger Gavin McKenna, who committed four giveaways.
“We honestly played a pretty solid game, but a couple turnovers, two by myself, and I think that’s just what killed us,” the 18-year-old admitted.
In the first period, McKenna attempted to break the puck out of the Leafs zone with a pass to Brandon Duhaime, but it didn’t connect. Seconds later, the puck was in the net for the game’s opening goal.
Duhaime committed his own turnover later in the period, which led to the second Canadiens goal.
Then with just over seven minutes left in the second period, McKenna’s offensive-zone pass was picked off by Chris Kreider, which led to a breakaway goal by the Canadiens winger. That put Montreal up 3-0. McKenna was benched for the remainder of the period.
“I obviously knew that it was a mistake and, yeah, I knew I was gonna probably sit for that one,” McKenna said. “My teammates in the second intermission came in, talked to me, and Jim pulled me aside and talked to me. And it was good. He said he was gonna get me out there again, which felt good. So, I appreciated that from him and, honestly, it fired me up. So, just an unfortunate bounce.”
McKenna responded well in the third period, scoring Toronto’s second goal and celebrating emphatically.
“Yeah, that one felt good,” he said. “Yeah, that one probably would have felt a little bit better if we won. But to get that one after making a play like that, that one always feels good.”
McKenna is still finding his way as a young player in the league. He leads all Leafs forwards with 25 giveaways.
“A couple turnovers, and you just can’t, you can’t do it,” Hiller said. “You can’t continue to do it, you know what I mean? But he’s a great young player. Bounced back, good attitude, all that kind of stuff. Trying, learning, come a long way, so it’s all good. It’s just tough sometimes.”
McKenna can lean on his teammates for guidance, including Tavares, who he is living with this season.
“When mistakes happen, you know, in the moment you try not to dwell on it too much, as difficult as that may be, and how heavy it can feel at times,” Tavares said. “I think you just try to be ready for that next shift, because you never know when the next opportunity is coming to go out there and make a difference, which he did. So great job by him, and you know just staying with it, not getting down on himself, and being ready for the next opportunity.”
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Nylander scored Toronto’s other goal, which came on the power play in the third period.
“I think the puck found my stick more tonight so, I mean, it was good,” he said. “Could have had some more goals.”
Nylander is now tied with Auston Matthews for the team lead with 11 goals.
Scoring chances were even (7-7) with Nylander on the ice at 5-on-5 play, per NaturalStatTrick.com. It had been five games since he broke even in that department.
“I thought Willie had his best game in a long, long time, and I don’t think it’s any coincidence that John was out there with him,” Hiller said. “They have a lot of chemistry together. John wins pucks. So, I think maybe John’s biggest contribution was getting Willie going as well as he did.”
Nylander, Tavares and McKenna tied for the team lead with four shots. Nylander also hit the post on another attempt.
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Saturday was the first game for Tavares since suffering a lower-body injury on Oct. 15.
“Considering [I] hadn’t played a game in three weeks, not too bad,” he said. “Obviously, some areas I want to be a little sharper in and just getting your feet back under you a little bit and getting the feel for the pace and just that level of intensity again. Even though you have the amount of experience that I have, just getting up to speed. Felt like things got better as the game went on.”
It was the first full game for Tavares, a natural centre, on left wing this season. Nick Paul is currently lining up in the middle of the second line.
Tavares lost eight of his 11 draws.
“Started a little slow in the faceoff circle, got better,” noted Hiller. “Was around the net. Puck just jumped on him a couple times, but it was around the net.”
“I thought as a line it was not too bad,” Tavares said. “I think we were able to generate some good things, play on their half of the ice. Obviously can be a little sharper, execute just a little bit better, especially for myself, and that can lead to some more good stuff. So, just build on it from here.”
What is the biggest adjustment on the wing?
“You’re just probably outside of the middle of the ice, or starting from outside of the middle of the ice a little bit more,” the 36-year-old noted. “But my familiarity, understanding of Willie, obviously, an elite player, and the stability that Paulie brings and the way he’s played for us this year, two really good guys to play with that make the game easy. So, just make my reads off of that and find ways to establish my game, play at a high level, execute, do the things I need to do to help the team.”
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Leafs lines to start Saturday’s game:
Cowan - Matthews - Roslovic
Tavares - Paul - Nylander
Joshua - Sissons - McKenna
Duhaime - Blueger - MacEwen
McCabe - Raddysh
Rielly - Tanev
Ekman-Larsson - Stecher
Boborovsky
Akhtyamov