ST. LOUIS — Morgan Rielly‘s presence is felt even in his absence.
The heart-on-sleeve, actions-speak-louder leader of the Toronto Maple Leafs has not played one second during the club’s current heater.
Yet the No. 1 defenceman’s suspension — the result of an emotional reaction on behalf of a team frequently accused of lacking one — has served as a touchpoint for the unbanned, who have ripped off a four-game win streak without their most-used skater and longest-tenured teammate.
“I mean, every game is a battle. We got to battle for a playoff spot and keep fighting,” William Nylander said Monday in St. Louis, after scoring the shorthanded game-winner in a 4-2 defeat of the Blues.
“We’ve answered the bell. And I think Mo kinda lit the fire in the team. Yeah, we’re battling for Mo.”
Since getting embarrassed in Ottawa nine days ago and losing their alternate captain, the Maple Leafs have reeled off four consecutive victories by a combined score of 21-7, matching their best streak of an inconsistent campaign.
Matthew Knies believes Rielly’s suspension has played a “huge” factor over this past week in terms of jolting the room into action and getting the attention of depth contributors.
“He kinda defended the respect of our team, and I think we’re playing really hard now,” Knies said. “He’s a valuable piece to us. And we’re excited that he’s gonna come back here soon, but I think we’re playing really good hockey — and I think it’s given us a jump.”
Following what coach Sheldon Keefe accurately described as a “snoozer of a first period,” in which nearly every shot came from low-danger areas, Knies himself showed great jump 22 seconds into the second frame of a Presidents’ Day matinee.
The rookie took a slick feed from Auston Matthews, sliced through defenders Colton Parayko and Nick Leddy, then beat goaltender Joel Hofer high for his 10th on the season:
Matthews came two goals shy of a hat trick but pounded a power-play goal to keep his momentum running. Nylander looked off decoy Pontus Hölmberg once he saw Hofer cheating pass and sniped a shorthanded marker, and the Leafs cruised rather comfortably to another win over another middling opponent.
“Great game for us. We play really smart, really strong. We know the Blues come today a little bit more angry and more motivated, but we did a great job,” said goalie Ilya Samsonov, now riding a season-best four-game win streak of his own.
“Not about one guy, yeah? This is team sport. And, you know, it’s hard to say. Like, we need Morgan for sure. He’s leader for us. And I miss him. I think everybody miss him.”
No doubt.
But the reason you’ll hear about how great teams need to be galvanized by in-season adversity is because clichés are rooted in truth.
The removal of Rielly has been compounded with dressing-room illness, a series of minor injuries, and the absence of Mark Giordano, home grieving the sudden death of his father.
That the Maple Leafs deployed an all-Marlies third pair of Max Lajoie and Marshall Rifai tells you just how much their depth is being tested.
And while Matthews, crowned First Star of the Week, and Mitch Marner (a three-assist effort in this one) are carrying the lion’s share of the load, meaningful contributions by role players like Knies, Hölmberg, Bobby McMann, and Max Domi have spread the positive vibes as the club sets flight to the desert.
“Just knowing that missing a very key piece of our team and our defensive core and knowing that we got to step up collectively and do a job, guys are coming in and playing more minutes or getting moved up in the lineup are gonna be required to do more,” Matthews said.
“It’s great to have these guys come in and play important minutes. It just gives them more confidence and gives us confidence as a team.”
Fox’s Fast Five
• Rifai — a 25-year-old, undrafted depth defenceman in his second tour with the Marlies — was recalled because William Lagesson suffered and upper-body injury Saturday.
The big D-man held his own in 11-and-a-half sheltered minutes during his NHL debut.
“I just try to compete hard and do what’s asked of me,” Rifai said.
With Rielly’s suspension nearing its conclusion and Lagesson’s ailment not believed to be serious, Rifai taste of life in the show may be short and sweet.
“He was steady. Very solid. Nothing stands out in terms of a mistake,” Keefe said. “He moves around the rink well. He’s competitive. He made good decisions with the puck. I thought he did a really good job for us here today.”
• Amid a 24-game goal drought, winger Noah Gregor was made a healthy scratch for his first time as a Leaf.
Meanwhile, McMann — hot off last week’s five-goal performance — was promoted to John Tavares’s second line, has seen some rare special-teams usage, and potted an all-effort empty-netter.
“He is showing that he is not going to let this one slip,” Keefe said of McMann’s opportunity for more meaningful minutes. “Tremendous week for him, and it is great to see the puck go in. He can score. We have seen that at the AHL level. He did a lot of other really good things, too, that make it hard to keep him out of the lineup.”
• Keefe dropped John Tavares to the second power-play unit and used Tyler Bertuzzi on the top group — where he snapped his 19-game goal drought Saturday.
“Trying to capitalize on some of that momentum with those guys,” Keefe explained.
• Remember big power forward Justin Brazeau, whom the Leafs took a flyer on back in 2019?
Well, the 26-year-old Ontario native was enjoying a nice season in AHL Providence (37 points in 49 games) and just inked a two-year, two-way contract with the Boston Bruins.
Then he scored in his NHL debut Monday.
• Whaddaya say? A goal for Matthews on Wednesday to hit 50 in his home state of Arizona?
