Rielly’s Big Night Powers Leafs Over Canadiens - Beritaja

TORONTO – Morgan Rielly went done an off-season of reflection.

The Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman said astatine the commencement of training campy he was “really disappointed” successful himself pursuing a 2024-25 run that was acold beneath his ain standard.

Rielly sought extracurricular proposal and had immoderate reliable conversations, including pinch wide head Brad Treliving.

The 31-year-old looked astatine each facet of his trade successful hopes of gaining caller position and getting backmost to the two-way unit the Leafs expect.

Opening nighttime was a promising start.

Rielly scored the game-winning extremity aft jumping up into the play and driving to the slot arsenic Toronto picked up a 5-2 triumph complete the Montreal Canadiens connected Wednesday.

“Everyone successful present wants to play good the first game,” said the seasoned blueliner, who will look to debar talking about himself astatine almost each opportunity. “You activity difficult each summertime — everyone — and you conscionable want to get disconnected connected the correct foot. We had tons of guys that did that.”

Rielly put successful plentifulness of activity this summertime aft producing a disappointing 7 goals and 34 assists for 41 points past season.

Leafs winger Bobby McMann skated alongside his teammate passim July and August astatine Toronto’s believe facility.

“He showed up each day,” said McMann, who scored a infinitesimal into Wednesday’s game. “Put the activity in, continued to beryllium a master this acold into his career. He’s still hungry, he still wants it.

“He wants to triumph truthful bad, and he wants the champion for himself.”

The Leafs hired caput coach Craig Berube up of the 2024-25 run successful hopes of reigning successful a run-and-gun style successful favour of a much measured approach.

Rielly struggled to find his spot successful the caller system, sometimes excessively focused connected not making a correction alternatively of trusting his instincts that produced 72- and 68-point seasons — and earned him an eight-year, US$60-million statement hold successful 2021.

“We talked to him and had conversations pinch him … conscionable spell play your game,” said Berube, who pointed to the acquisition of defence partner Brandon Carlo arsenic a steadying unit up of past season’s waste and acquisition deadline. “When you’ve sewage to defend, you defend. But we request you doing the different things offensively.

“I thought he sewage amended successful the 2nd half of the twelvemonth and into the playoffs.”

Toronto goaltender Anthony Stolarz said Rielly is astatine his champion erstwhile he’s assured pinch the puck and making plays astatine some ends of the rink.

“He did a awesome occupation of holding his gap, getting instrumentality connected pucks and moving guys successful front,” said the netminder, who vanished pinch 29 saves Wednesday. “We could each spot the violative talent’s location erstwhile he feels assured and he could alert up the crystal and subordinate the unreserved for illustration that. For him to get that goal, it’s immense for him and immense for america arsenic a team.”

Rielly, who dropped six pounds successful the off-season, besides knows there’s a agelong roadworthy to spell for some himself and the group.

“I’ve been unfastened and honorable about each those conversations,” he said of his summer. “But we’re each trying to build disconnected of what we’re doing. We’re each trying to improve.”

Wednesday was a coagulated first step.

BASEBALL FEVER

The Toronto Blue Jays took connected the New York Yankees successful Game 4 of the American League Division Series arsenic the Leafs and Canadiens were battling astatine Scotiabank Arena.

The shot people was flashed connected the large surface precocious passim the night, and the crowd gave a immense cheer — successful the mediate of the play connected the crystal — erstwhile the Jays went up 4-1.

Chants of “Let’s Go Blue Jays!” followed from fans of some lucky teams.

“It’s conscionable a cool energy,” Rielly said. “We want to beryllium supportive of those guys. They person a awesome instrumentality guidelines and it evidently crosses complete a small bit, truthful it’s a really nosy clip to beryllium about here. We’re cheering them on.”

Stolarz, who grew up a New York Mets instrumentality successful Edison N.J., was happy to spot his team’s rival down arsenic he was focusing connected the puck.

“This metropolis is highly passionate,” he said. “To perceive the roar and conscionable to spot really overmuch they support their teams, that’s conscionable much information for america to proceed to advancement arsenic this twelvemonth goes connected and make a heavy run.”

The Leafs near the crippled connected the large surface aft the last buzzer and allowed fans to bent about and watch the last fewer innings earlier the Jays clinched a 5-2 triumph to beforehand to the American League Championship Series.

“Go Jays,” Berube said to adjacent his property conference.

This study by BERITAJA was first published Oct. 8, 2025.

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"Rielly’s Big Night Powers Leafs Over Canadiens - Beritaja"

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