SEATTLE — Morgan Rielly had one of his better games of the 2024-25 NHL season on Tuesday.
The Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman looked like his old self from an offensive perspective, finishing with a plus-3 rating against the Calgary Flames.
“(He was) skating, getting up the ice, being involved in the rush and offensively, moving in the offensive zone,” Berube said ahead of Toronto’s game against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday. “On the power play (he) moved the puck quick, shot it from the top, just direct.”
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Rielly was active in pushing the puck up the ice and generating scoring chances in Calgary. In the first period alone, he fired three shots on goal, matching his shot total from the previous six games combined. This offensive surge came after a particularly challenging stretch of games leading up to the Calgary matchup. In the previous six games, Rielly had only registered one assist and had a combined plus-minus of -8.
“He’s been good. I felt like he helped me out a lot,” Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson said of Rielly’s game. “He’s moving good and moving the puck good and looked great on the power play. So nothing (new) that I already know.”
Several factors have contributed to Rielly’s struggles this season. The Leafs have been a less dynamic offensive team overall, focusing more on team defense under Berube. This has led to some adjustments in Rielly’s game, as he’s been less aggressive in joining the rush and activating in the offensive zone. Furthermore, the team has experimented with different power-play combinations, including using a forward in Rielly’s usual spot, which has limited his opportunities to contribute on the man advantage.
With Mitch Marner returning to the lineup after missing one game due to a lower-body ailment, Rielly was taken off the first power-play unit despite his success on Tuesday.
Craig Berube says he had a “good talk” with Morgan Rielly today
Urged the d-man to be more aggressive in the pursuit of offence
“You can’t be focused on mistakes”
Rielly has repeatedly spoken about wanting to eliminate risk from his game this seasonhttps://t.co/Vyjg2Cin2e
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) February 1, 2025
“Just a matter of fitting everybody,” Berube explained of the switch. ” I think, if you look at JT (John Tavares) this year, he’s been a very good bumper for us, you know. Scored a lot of goals, but he’s great at, you know, release plays and things like that, making plays from there. And, (Matthew) Knies’ has a great job at the net, so I’ll just go back. You know, that five forwards has been good for us. And, Mo did a great job up top. I really liked his game all around.”
Leafs PP Units at morning skate Feb. 6/25
PP1: Marner, Matthews, Tavares, Nylander, Knies
PP2: Rielly, OEL, Domi, McMann, Pacioretty@BodogCA— David Alter (@dalter) February 6, 2025
Through 53 games, Rielly has just 5 goals and 19 assists for 24 points, putting him on pace for his lowest point total since the 2016-17 season. His plus-minus rating of -19 is also a cause for concern, the fourth-lowest total among defensemen in the league.
But after he was plus-3 on Thursday, maybe that game against Calgary will see him turn the corner.
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