{"id":511580,"date":"2026-03-19T15:24:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T15:24:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/511580\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T15:24:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T15:24:26","slug":"morgan-riellys-rare-fight-the-latest-sign-the-maple-leafs-are-adapting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/511580\/","title":{"rendered":"Morgan Rielly’s rare fight the latest sign the Maple Leafs are adapting"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Maple Leafs lost 3-1 to the New York Islanders<\/a> on Tuesday at Scotiabank Arena. Wednesday is a day off for the team. <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

After Islanders forward Kyle MacLean<\/a> bumped into Joseph Woll<\/a> in the second period on Tuesday night, Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly<\/a> immediately went after him and dropped the gloves. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s huge,\u201d Woll said. \u201cThe last few games just watching the amount of urgency to protect people out there has been awesome from our team. Mo\u2019s obviously not a guy that\u2019s always looking to fight, so for him to jump in and do that means a lot. So, yeah, pretty awesome of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a great job by him getting in there and sticking up for Joseph,\u201d said coach Craig Berube<\/a>. \u201cObviously, that message has gotten across.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was Rielly\u2019s fifth fight in the NHL and first this season. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not something I do a lot of,\u201d the veteran of 939 games said. \u201cI\u2019m not very good at it, but I think it\u2019s important down the stretch for our group.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a game last Thursday, the Leafs did not respond immediately after captain Auston Matthews<\/a> sustained a season-ending injury courtesy a knee-on-knee hit by Anaheim Ducks<\/a> defenceman Radko Gudas<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Radko Gudas goes knee-on-knee with Auston Matthews. Gudas received a minute major pending review. Auston Matthews was down for a while but has gotten back to his feet. pic.twitter.com\/Rxf6xIe1GH<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Rielly was among the four other Toronto skaters on the ice when Matthews got hurt. After that game, the longest-serving Leaf said he regretted not jumping in immediately to stand up for his teammate. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been a tough year for him,\u201d Berube said of Rielly, who has been on the ice for the most 5-on-5 goals against in the NHL. \u201cWe all know that. He took [what happened with Matthews] personally. But it is not just on Mo or any one individual. They all should\u2019ve been in there right away. They\u2019ve obviously learned from it. There has been a difference now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team has talked \u201calmost daily\u201d about what happened and the need to be better since then. On Tuesday morning, rookie Easton Cowan<\/a>, who was also on the ice when Matthews got hit, vowed to learn from what happened. Cowan dropped the gloves with Jackson LaCombe<\/a> after the Ducks defenceman landed a big hit on Nick Robertson in the third period of last Thursday\u2019s game. <\/p>\n

Is there extra pressure to respond during games now?<\/p>\n

\u201cPressure is not the right word,\u201d said Rielly. \u201cBut we\u2019ve talked about it and it\u2019s at the front of our minds, just in terms of playing hard. There\u2019s no pressure on anyone to go out and do something that they\u2019re not comfortable doing. It\u2019s just more a matter of playing hard and keeping that going for the last month.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Leafs are destined to miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season. It\u2019s been a disappointing year and the lack of an immediate response to the knee on Matthews represented another low moment.<\/p>\n

The Leafs have engaged in four fights in the four games since Matthews got hurt. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a lot of sit-down talks and we had to look in the mirror to get to the spot where we\u2019ve played these past few games,\u201d said winger Steven Lorentz<\/a>, who lifted the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers<\/a> in 2024. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve tried to do that consistently and it\u2019s not a lack of effort, but you can tell we haven\u2019t been like that the entire season. It hasn\u2019t been consistent enough and it\u2019s been nice to see these past few games. You got guys like Mo sticking up for guys and Cowboy [Cowan] with a fight a few games back. It\u2019s not about going out and fighting, but if a guy takes a run at a guy on your team it\u2019s about having the liberty to stick up for a guy on your team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why did it take what happened to Matthews to get the Leafs doing this again? <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a good question,\u201d Woll admits. \u201cAll I\u2019m going to say, really, is the past few games has been really great, seeing our team do that. From the time I\u2019ve been here I feel like we\u2019ve had guys who stand up for our teammates, and that hasn\u2019t been an issue in my time being here. It\u2019s kind of just a weird one-off type of thing, but that\u2019s all I\u2019m going to say. I know everyone really cares a lot about each other in this room and I think it\u2019s been awesome the last few games.\u201d<\/p>\n

‘Took that personally’: Rielly’s rare fight latest sign Leafs adapting after Matthews-Gudas incident After Kyle MacLean bumped Joseph Woll on Tuesday, Morgan Rielly dropped the gloves. “Obviously, that message has gotten across,” said coach Craig Berube, who blasted his team for not standing up for Auston Matthews following a knee by Radko Gudas last week. “He took that personally.” <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Down the hall in the Islanders room, the fight wasn\u2019t a talking point at all. Head coach Patrick Roy<\/a> wasn\u2019t asked about it. <\/p>\n

There was yelling and hollering heard as the Islanders celebrated an important win that allowed them to maintain a playoff spot in a tight Eastern Conference race. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just messing around,\u201d said defenceman Matthew Schaefer<\/a>. \u201cA little shenanigans. We just clap and clap and clap and we don\u2019t stop. It was for Schenner\u2019s first goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trade deadline pick-up Brayden Schenn<\/a> opened the scoring on Tuesday night courtesy a nice set up by Oakville, Ont. native Cal Ritchie. <\/p>\n

Ritchie and Schaefer, who is from Stoney Creek, Ont., were playing their first NHL game in Toronto. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was awesome,\u201d said Schaefer. \u201cGrowing up as a kid, coming to Leafs games, even the \u2018Go Leafs Go!\u2019 chants and things like that bring back memories. It\u2019s so fun to have friends and family in the building and get the two points.\u201d <\/p>\n

Schaefer, the first-overall pick in the 2025 NHL draft, estimated that he had close to 1,000 supporters in the crowd. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn warmups I saw a lot of people,\u201d Schaefer said. \u201cI saw some of my school buddies and I looked up and they were making faces at me, so I was laughing there a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schaefer logged almost 23 minutes and recorded an assist as he continues to build a case to be an unanimous Calder Trophy winner.<\/a> <\/p>\n

Dad Todd Schaefer watched it all from a box with other family members. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s teachers here, there\u2019s friends, there\u2019s so many people here and they\u2019re here to support Matthew the person not necessarily Matthew because he\u2019s in the NHL,\u201d Todd told TSN. \u201cIt brings up a lot of memories of me coming here with my dad and always being a Leaf fan. It was just, like, Is this really happening? Like, are we really at the Leafs rink? Just crazy, crazy, crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schaefer\u2019s mom, Jenniefer, passed away in February 2024 at age 56 following a two-year battle with breast cancer. <\/p>\n

\u201cI wish she got to see me,\u201d the 18-year-old said. \u201cI wish she could be here too, but just her being in the atmosphere with our family, my dad and brother, and lots of friends and family. It would\u2019ve been awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

John Tavares on Matthew Schaefer: <\/p>\n

“He’s doing things only a handful of players have done. It’s extremely, extremely impressive. He’s not just a franchise player, but he’s certainly put himself in a generational type of a talent [category]”https:\/\/t.co\/RrrnV2SQcI<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Mark Masters (@markhmasters) March 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

‘Is this really happening?’: Schaefer’s dad reflects on son’s ‘crazy’ homecoming Matthew Schaefer’s father, Todd Schaefer, joins Mark Masters to share what it was like to watch his son play in Toronto, his favourite moment of the experience, how he’ll celebrate the win against the Maple Leafs, and more. <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

After setting up Schenn, Ritchie scored a goal of his own. His mom, Shannon, appeared to be near tears in the crowd. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think I was in shock,\u201d she told TSN. <\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d Cal said with a grin while standing nearby. <\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Shannon said with a laugh. \u201cThat\u2019s not what I meant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ritchie\u2019s father, Patrick, chimed in with a clarification. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s never seen him score live in the NHL,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been talking about that for a while. We\u2019ve seen lots of games so to see that here in Toronto is just crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ritchie is now up to 10 goals in 58 career NHL games. <\/p>\n

\u201cCal grew up loving hockey, our family loves hockey and the Leafs were our team, so for him to come here, his first time here, and do what he did, we\u2019re so proud of him,\u201d Patrick said. \u201cWe\u2019re so happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a very emotional homecoming,\u201d said Shannon. \u201cVery surreal. It felt very full circle.\u201d<\/p>\n

‘I was in shock’: Ritchie’s mom explains why seeing son’s goal in Toronto was so special Calum Ritchie’s parents, Patrick and Shannon Ritchie, join Mark Masters to discuss watching their son score his first career goal against the Maple Leafs and why it’s extra special. <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Oliver Ekman-Larsson<\/a> returned to the Leafs lineup after missing Sunday\u2019s game to be with his wife for the birth of the couple\u2019s second child. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been awesome,\u201d the 34-year-old Swede said. \u201cNot a lot of sleep, but it\u2019s been great. Wifey\u2019s been battling and had some tough nights, but she\u2019s been unbelievable, so just happy to have been there and support her and do whatever I can to make it better. It\u2019s an awesome feeling. We\u2019re so happy and everybody\u2019s doing good.\u201d<\/p>\n

A baby boy, name still to be determined, arrived on Monday afternoon. Ekman-Larsson missed Tuesday\u2019s morning skate, but rejoined the team in time for the game against the Islanders. <\/p>\n

\u201cI felt alright,\u201d he said. \u201cI felt alright. I\u2019ll leave it at that. But it was good to come back and battle with the guys and see the guys again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ekman-Larsson played a game-high 25 minutes and 53 seconds. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe wasn\u2019t at his best and that is normal,\u201d Berube said. \u201cIt\u2019s 48 hours with his wife and the new baby. It is a tough game for him, but he wanted to play, and I wanted him to play, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

‘Not a lot of sleep’: New dad Ekman-Larsson ‘felt alright’ while leading Leafs in ice time . <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Ilya Sorokin<\/a> stopped 26 of 27 shots to pick up his 150th career win. <\/p>\n

\u201cAny time you\u2019re playing a stud out there, it\u2019s pretty fun,\u201d said Woll, who turned aside 31 of 34 shots. \u201cYou gotta kind of turn your goalie brain off a bit because it\u2019s cool to watch him. If I\u2019m backing up I usually enjoy watching guys like that and learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

What does he learn from watching Sorokin? <\/p>\n

\u201cKind of similar to his Russian counterparts,\u201d Woll noted. \u201cThey\u2019re all so smooth and technically sound. If I could draw up a perfect technical goalie, It\u2019d probably be him. He\u2019s always in the right spot and he\u2019s so smooth. Yeah, it\u2019s a lot of fun playing against him.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Berube felt the Leafs could have done a better job of making life harder on Sorokin. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was not enough,\u201d the coach said of the offensive thrust from his team. \u201cI look at our forecheck and how we got a lot of pucks back on our forecheck \u2014 we have to do more of it. We didn\u2019t do enough of it. We didn\u2019t get to the net front, and that is the bottom line. That is where it all starts for me. If that goalie sees the puck, he will stop most of them. We didn\u2019t get to the net front to create chaos and second and third opportunities. That is the difference in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leafs’ Woll relished chance to battle ‘perfect technical goalie’ Sorokin Ilya Sorokin stopped 26 of 27 shots to beat the Leafs on Tuesday. “If I could draw up a perfect technical goalie, it\u2019d probably be him,” said Joseph Woll. “He\u2019s always in the right spot and he\u2019s so smooth.” But coach Craig Berube felt his team didn’t do enough to trouble the Vezina Trophy contender. <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Leafs lines in Tuesday\u2019s game: <\/p>\n

Maccelli – Tavares – Nylander<\/p>\n

Knies – Domi – Cowan <\/p>\n

Joshua – Groulx – Robertson<\/p>\n

Lorentz – Quillan – Jarnkrok<\/p>\n

Rielly – Myers<\/p>\n

McCabe – Carlo<\/p>\n

Ekman-Larsson – Stecher<\/p>\n

Woll<\/p>\n

Stolarz<\/p>\n